Summer Holiday Trips and Tours
Earlier this term, our exchange pupils returned from Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia, and we were pleased to welcome pupils from this school to Merchiston. As you may know, Stephen Horrocks writes to all parents about exchange possibilities co-ordinated by the School.  Yet again, the summer holiday offers so many opportunities to pupils and I am most grateful to members of the Common Room who run the trips and activities during their holidays.  These will include the 1st XI Cricket Tour to Gloucester, the Close Harmony Group and Pipe Band Tour to Canada, the Pringle trip to Ru’a Fiola, the Chinese Exchange to Zhuhai No 1 Middle School, Guangdong (this is a first for us), the Bisley Target Rifle Meeting, the Rugby Development Tour to South America and the Big Activity Weekend for prospective pupils before the beginning of next term.  Yet again, I think that these activities epitomise the remarkable relationship between the pupils and the staff outwith the classroom. 

Summer Holiday Work
The summer holiday is always an extremely busy time for the School, and once again it will be a challenge for David Stenhouse and all his staff to ensure that the work is completed for the new academic year.  Numerous projects will be undertaken in the boarding houses and in other important parts of the School; you will receive details of these in my letter at the start of the academic year in September. 

Sixth Form Quarter

In my Summer Term 2007 Newsletter, I wrote the following: “The completion date of the beginning of the Autumn Term 2008 will be tight, but, nevertheless, the whole project is exciting.”  Well, we were proven right and I have already written to the parents of boys in the Shell, the Fifth Form and the Lower Sixth to outline the interim arrangements for the accommodation of boys and staff as we await the completion of the building, which is likely to be at some stage in November.  This letter can be found on parentnet.  It has been fascinating to see this project coming together piece by piece.  The whole concept of the Sixth Form Quarter will be extremely exciting for Merchiston, and indeed the boys, but it will, of course, be important to remember that new buildings do not supersede the importance of ethos! 

Charitable Status and Public Benefit
You will remember that we were nominated as one of the ten independent schools in Phase 1A of the Rolling Review of Charities and we have completed all three stages of this process, including a visit from the Office of the Scottish Regulator (OSCR) officials, Martin Tyson (Casework Policy Manager) and  Lisa McGhee (Rolling Review Project Manager).  The decision about our charitable status is not now expected until October.

Care Commission Inspections
We have two Care Commission inspections every year – one announced and one unannounced.  The inspection at the end of the Lent Term elicited many compliments about our pastoral care. We have not yet received the Commission’s formal report. 

Upper Sixth
We say goodbye to 59 Upper Sixth Formers and we wish them every success in the future.  Some of these young men will have spent eight years at the School and some as few as two years.  Merchiston always asks much of this year group in terms of how they are expected to study and contribute, both within and outwith the classroom, and as leaders.  I would like to acknowledge the leadership given by the prefectorial body, yet at the same time every member of the Upper Sixth has left his mark upon the School.  During the Upper Sixth Graduation Ceremony, which takes place at Prizegiving, each young man will receive his Merchistonian Club tie; all other School leavers who are eligible to receive a tie, will do so at their House Meeting.