"Over the past two years our Amnesty group has developed into a team of students committed to the protection of human rights internationally and to increasing the awareness of the plight of prisoners of conscience. We met every Wednesday lunchtime and responded to the ‘urgent actions’ of those who suffered from human rights abuse and wrote letters to authorities to ask them to acknowledge human rights and help us with the situations presented. We also fundraised via school functions and were involved in broader campaigns such as the ‘Arms Control’ for which we held a week of assemblies.

After attending a conference at Edinburgh University where we heard speakers from Mozambique and Amnesty representatives working for the cause, we were informed of the urgency of action required and the scale of the problems world-wide. In addition we held the ‘Festive Card’ scheme at Christmas-time: students wrote cards to prisoners of conscience as a means of recognising their hardships and serving as a source of hope and comfort for those detained. In Manchester we attended a ‘Youth Conference’ to listen to lectures regarding child execution, women’s rights, the situation in Iraq and how to improve the importance of the acceptance of human rights across society. I sincerely hope that this group will continue next year and I would advise all to take part. Through my involvement I feel I have benefited greatly and hope to continue supporting Amnesty International in the future."

We are able to offer a choice of media and disciplines which, because of class size and/or timetable limitations, we cannot offer in the curriculum. 

On Tuesdays and Thursdays the art department provides a choice of three different craft based activities from wheel-thrown pottery, hand-built pottery, batik, silk-screen printing, sculpture, lino printing and many more.  

There is a relaxed atmosphere in these activities, but nevertheless much is achieved with a great deal of hard work, not to mention fun.  The rewards include ceramic bowls, teapots, prints, and textiles to take home, and the growing confidence which these achievements bring.

An introduction to amateur astronomy using simple practical exercises and videos. When conditions allow, the school‘s telescope can be used to view sunspots, stars and planets.

Scrabble sets are provided; for other games pupils supply their own boards which may be kept in school during the term.  Players range from complete beginners to school champions.  In the Scrabble Activity there are competitions once a term.

Chemistry activities are held after school on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. For the junior pupils, activities range from making sherbet or giant exploding soap bubbles to making fizz bomb rockets. Many of the experiments involve groups of boys competing against each other or demonstrating their experiments to the class. The senior pupils have been synthesising indicators, dyes and pharmaceuticals.

The chess club operates in room 25 during period 9 activities on both Tuesday and Friday. The club is open to all abilities ans age groups, with basic tuition being available for the beginner. A chess ladder is run to provide an element of competition, though the overall atmosphere of the club is informal and relaxed. The club has room for up to 20 members, and places are allocated first come first served. Tuesdays are particularly popular. Overall the club has grown in popularity, with an increasing number deciding that there are worse ways of spending an afternoon than playing chess whilst listening to the gentle strains of Classic FM. Here's our computerised game for the holidays.

Several afternoons per week a computer room is open for pupils to work on activities of their own choice, which could be, for example, writing essays for other subjects using a word processor, drawing using a graphics package, programming in Pascal or Basic, developing keyboarding skills, or familiarization with available software.   A teacher of computing is on hand to supervise and help.   Merely playing games is not allowed.

This is a one-term course that leads to the award of a National Cycling Proficiency Certificate.  Over a period of about eight Friday afternoons boys learn the basic skills of riding a bicycle in town traffic, partly in the protected environment of the school playground but progressing onto public roads.   They learn how to give effective signals, turn right and left, stop in an emergency, manoeuvre in slow traffic, slow down and dismount as well as all the basics of the Highway Code. At the end of the course the Police test them, awarding them a certificate and a badge when they pass. After the course has been completed there is still time for a couple of lessons on cycle maintenance that includes mending a puncture and simple bicycle repairs.

Design Technology activity takes place four times a week, from 3.35 - 4.15. A limit of fourteen pupils per session is imposed for safety reasons.  These activities are always well subscribed, pupils are encouraged to move onto another activity after a term, due to popularity and an effort by staff to give as many pupils as possible the opportunity to work in the Department.

• Tuesday Geits to Thirds
• Wednesday Fourths to Sevenths
• Thursday Geits to Thirds
• Friday Senior pupils

The senior activity is again well used especially by pupils who were unable to do the GCSE due to subject choices.

Drama takes place on Thursdays and Fridays. In the Autumn Term it is mainly geared to rehearsing the Junior Play for performance at the beginning of December, but includes games, improvisation and other skills.  Rehearsals are from 3.40 to 4.15/4.20 pm on Thursday and Friday and on some Sundays from 2.30 to 4.30 pm; there are also some early evening rehearsals.

This takes place on Thursday afternoons, from 3.45 to 5.00 for juniors.  We have the services of Patsy Nicholls, one of the foremost epée coaches in Scotland, and the school has a lengthy tradition of providing members of Scotland and GB teams.  Complete beginners are welcome and all kit is provided.  Naturally, we hope that a proportion of those tasting the sport for the first time will persevere and become regular members of the practice.  In due course, they will be encouraged to enter the range of competitions that exist. Coaching costs are shared between participants.

These activities include the viewing of French videos and the chance to play French games on a multi-media system.

We meet every Thursday after school to make models, play "Castle Explorer" on the computer, watch videos and generally chat about History. Occasionally trips and visits are organised. In November we went to the Scottish National Gallery for an hour, looking at thepaintings as historical evidence. A series of Mother and Child paintings from 1300-1500 provided ample evidence for the main developments in Renaissance Art, whilst a selection of seventeenth century Dutch paintings gave dozens of insights into every-day life.

This activity is for anyone in Geits to Fifths, and takes place on Fridays.  It includes preparing and maintaining pot plants for display, propagating and re-potting, growing plants from seed, and doing some experiments.

Rifle shooting is available as an Activity for a limited number. The school has an indoor 25ft shooting range, and is equipped with several rifles.  Shooting is a Division Cup sport,  and opportunities for competition shooting can be pursued also through the Cadet Force.

Juggling is open to everyone of all abilities! No previous experience is required: beginners to experts are equally welcome. Learn to juggle with beanbags, balls, rings and c1ubs. Learn to juggle new 3-ball tricks and patterns (half-shower, tennis, chops, shower, windmill, Mills‘ mess, etc). Learn to fountain 4 balls, cascade 5 balls, and more. Learn to ”pass juggle" between two people as they do on the Mound at the Edinburgh Festival. All equipment is provided, although more experienced jugglers tend to buy some of their own.

There are three excellent squash courts in the new Sports Hall at Arboretum.  For Geits and Seconds, Squash takes place on Tuesday afternoon 3.50-4.50 pm, for Thirds (and Fourths) on Thursday afternoon 3.50-4.50pm. It is usual for boys in the 2nd or 3rd year to represent the Academy in the Lothian Schools Under-14 league, but Geits of particular talent will be invited to join the team. The boys receive coaching and have the opportunity to play games against each other in the group.  Private individual/small group coaching should also be available in the evening. As numbers are limited, priority will be given to players of reasonable ability and potential team members, although beginners are welcome to apply for any remaining places. Matches are played during the Autumn and Spring terms. A mixed ability session is usually run on Tuesdays in the Summer term for players who did not get an opportunity to join in the first two terms. Your own racquet is needed for the activity.

This activity, originally aimed at Academy girls, has now been extended to the boys by popular demand.  Essentially Judo-based, this course teaches pupils how to deter an aggressor by means of arm-locks, chokes and throws.  It is taught by a qualified and experienced instructor, and is closely supervised.

This activity is open to Geits, Seconds and Thirds during the first two terms.  It is not on offer in the Summer Term because the room is used for exams.  We have three tables, and can take up to eight boys at a time. In the last session we were fortunate to have a professional coach who has helped many youngsters to compete at international level; however, this coaching does involve paying a fee.  But it is not all serious competitive work: the main aim is to let the boys enjoy themselves and learn some basic skills in the process.

Touch-typing takes place in the computing department.. You use a computer program called Mavis Beacon version 2, which teaches you how to touch-type. You start off by making up a name for yourself, and then typing in things like how old you are, how good you are at typing, etc, and you’re off! In the program, you are taught differently depending on what details you put in at the beginning. If you’re a beginner, for example, then you start off learning the different keys and what fingers you use for them, then you move on to common letter and word patterns. The program also lets you play games (e.g.: there is a racing game where your car’s speed depends on how fast you type) every now and then to make learning to touch type fun. As well as games there are different types of lessons - Timed lessons, accuracy tests, and so on.

The Young Enterprise company Bellissimo had a very successful year. The group, ably led by James Clark and Blair Bowman, produced a book entitled Edinburgh’s Favourite Recipes and also a personalised sports bag. The company were delighted with the sales turnover of £3531 and were particularly pleased that 34% of the recipe books were sold to customers who were unconnected with the school. There were many challenges along the way, including dealing with customers face-to-face at the Gyle Centre Trade Fair, sorting out the aftermath of inefficient recordkeeping, and negotiating a pathway through sometimes complex customer requests. Overall the company had a very enjoyable year, finishing with the award of third best company out of forty in the Lothian region, and a celebratory meal out.