News

As summer slips by and the chillier mornings of autumn descend upon us it may seem a strange idea to go and jump into the sea.  That however is what some of our intrepid pupils decided to do this week, safe in the knowledge that this time of year is when the North Sea is actually at its warmest - those Geography lessons paying off! Stevie and Sally from Strive were our guide...

The end of our first full week back at Dunedin and the summer holiday is already but a distant memory.  Pupils are settling into their classes, afternoon activities are underway, walls have been climbed (at Alien Rock), gorgeous muffins baked in the kitchen, SCP courses started at Edinburgh College - and that's only in the first week and a half! Planning is ongoing for...

Throughout the school year we endeavour to keep our pupils as active as we possibly can, even in spite of the more inclement weather in the winter months.  Weekly walks exploring Edinburgh's green spaces are a staple of our school week, as well as regular badminton sessions.  These are supplemented by visits further afield, to Jupiter Artland for example or ice skating, trips o...

Dunedin Residentials always culminate in a canyoning trip, with pupils and staff donning wetsuits and appropriate safety gear before entering an icy cold river, jumping into plunge pools, sliding down naturally worn waterslides and crawling under waterfalls - all in the name of fun.  The idea of canyoning is a daunting one and it can very much be a journey of discovery for pupi...

Our residential trip this year to Glencoe was bathed in sunshine with a little breeze ensuring there was few midgies to ruin the outdoor fun.  On our first afternoon we walked up into the so called Lost Valley, steep walking and some scrambling allowing us to navigate through the remnants of an ancient landslip that once blocked this glen.  The local knowledge of Andy Spinks an...

There was great excitement among our pupils when it was announced that one of our summer term activities was to be indoor karting!  Little did we know the depth of driving talent that we harboured and, though many had never driven before, everyone very quickly got to grips with the techniques required to put in faster and faster lap times.  Congratulations to all our budding Le...

We had a really good turnout of pupils and staff for our visit to the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena at Ratho.  The size of the Arena and the height of the climbing can be very daunting to a first timer but this did not hold our pupils back.  Great fun was had in both climbing and abseiling, as well as learning some rope management and belaying skills. ...

A huge thank you to the folks from the Scottish Archery Centre for once again coming to school to teach our pupils Archery.  Pupil and staff alike get the opportunity to test their bowing mettle under expert guidance and it is always very rewarding to see how much everyone improves as the session progresses.    

Harlaw Reservoir in the Pentland Hills was the setting for our Leadership Day challenge. This challenge was an opportunity for pupils to be out of a school setting and work collaboratively to achieve team goals, in this case to gather the clues necessary to compute a combination allowing them to open a safe containing a team prize. Each team was issued with a 1:2...

Recently some of our pupils have been out in the wilds of the Borders undertaking their practice Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions.  They have been very lucky with the weather with mostly sunny and dry (if not warm!) days.  Long distances and heavy rucksacs were borne with a good deal of stoicism though the finishing points of their expeditions where reached somewhat grateful...