Why should a girl change school?

There are good reasons for continuity in education, and to make a change is always challenging. Nevertheless we obviously believe that The Edinburgh Academy has something positive and different to offer girls. For girls what The Edinburgh Academy offers is exactly the same academic and cultural opportunities that the school offers to boys.

The variety of The Edinburgh Academy curriculum; the flexibility offered by the choice of Scottish or English qualifications; the small size of the school and the individual attention to students; the high academic quality of our teaching staff, combined with a dedication to their profession that sees them enrich their students' lives by delivering far more than their contractual requirements; the rich extra-curricular life - all these make experience of an Edinburgh Academy education a unique opportunity. Girls should have this opportunity too!

The ethos of the school

The ethos of the school is the same for both sexes. It is a small school and its students are individuals. As far as possible a girl entering the sixth form classes will have her academic programme is tailored to fit her. The younger age groups have considerable flexibility and choice as will be seen from the curriculum section of this website.

It is important however to realise that the school does pursue high academic standards and that the transition to our high expectations of commitment and achievement is not always easy. The extra-curricular and social opportunities of The Edinburgh Academy may indeed be extraordinarily varied and hugely enjoyable, but they form the background to a very serious academic commitment that is not satisfied with less than any individual's maximum potential.

Why coeducation?

Today education intended to equip young people for the world must also teach them to relate to each other. Whether we like it or not, modern society has in many ways shortened childhood. The economic status of teenagers has changed along with communications and information exposure, so that it is no longer realistic to expect a single sex school to provide the sort of semi-closed academic environment that it once did.

When the demands that society places upon young people change, then educational institutions must change too or be increasingly marginalised. It is better that social education takes place in the structured environment of a school than in the random events of daily life. The formerly single sex Oxbridge colleges have already accepted the inevitability of this change.

In addition the sexes sometimes bring different approaches to the analysis of problems in ways that can be mutually beneficial educationally. In a single sex school it is easier for attitudes about what it means to be male or female to ossify into prejudice. In a coeducational school these attitudes are constantly confronted by reality. It is therefore harder for a counter-academic sub-culture to be identified with a "cool" public image, or for a limited range of intellectual approaches to be adopted.

Some of our girls

Following in the pioneering footsteps of Edwina Brown (see above) have come a host of other successful young women. For example, Sarah Whitley (left) leads the Baillie Gifford Japan team, managing over £4 billion in funds. Sarah graduated BA in Experimental Psychology from Oxford University in 1980 and joined Baillie Gifford the same year.

Hilary Cook was director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, in addition to being a successful skier, rower and yachtswoman.

In addition to 8 times UK champion fencer Georgina Usher, other Academy girls include law graduate, broadcaster and actress Catherine McQueen, RAF engineer officer Jeanne Reid and writer and broadcaster Juliet Lawrence Wilson (far left).

Both Sophie Cooke and Sarah Pinborough are successful authoresses. Sophie's novel "The Glass House" was shortlisted for the Saltire First Book of the Year Award 2004, whilst Sarah has so far produced four novels, including "In the Blood" (2007).

We are no more surprised by these achievements than by those of male Academicals: achieving your potential is what an Academy education is all about.