Erskine Stewart Melville (ESM) is an independent day school located in Edinburgh, Scotland managed by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh.Miller, Nikki (Editor) (2014) "School Guide Edinburgh & The Lothians, 2015 Annual Issue", Select Publishing Ltd.
The coeducational school was formed through the merger of all-girls' Mary Erskine School and the all-boys' Stewart's Melville College in 2026. The Mary Erskine School was founded in 1694 as the Merchant Maiden Hospital, whilst Stewart's Meville College was founded in 1972 following the merger of Daniel's Stewart's College and Melville College. Daniel Stewart's College opened as Daniel Stewart's Hospital in 1848, being renamed to Daniel Stewart's College in 1870. Melville College opened as the Edinburgh Institution for Languages and Mathematics in 1832, and acquired its final name in 1936. Prior to the 2026 merger, the schools shared a coeducational Junior School, Sixth Form, and extra-curricular program.(2014) The Mary Erskine School The Good Schools Guide, Retrieved 8 March 2014
The school is spread across three campuses, with the Senior School located within David Rhind's 1855 Scots Baronial Old College at Comely Bank, the Junior School at Ravelston, and the playing fields at Inverleith. In 2014, the combined school claimed to be the largest independent school in Europe.(2014) Erskine Stewart's Melville School The Tatler Schools Guide, retrieved 8 March 2014
The school is part of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
History The coeducational Erskine Stewart Melville was formed through the merger of the all-girls' The Mary Erskine School and the all-boys' Stewart's Melville College in 2026.
The Mary Erskine School
The Merchant Maiden Hospital was founded by Mary Erskine, a prominent Edinburgh banking businesswoman,Erskine, Mary, 1629–1707 Scotland's People, National Records of Scotland, Retrieved 13 June 2014 in 1694 at the Merchant Company of Edinburgh's first Merchants' Hall in the Cowgate.
Initially founded as a hospital school for the daughters of Edinburgh burgesses, it was refounded by act of Parliament as a day school in 1870, and renamed the Edinburgh Educational Institution For Girls. By this time, the school had grown to 1,200 students, and in 1871 it moved into Queen Street, where it became familiarly known as Queen Street School. In 1889, the school was renamed again as Edinburgh Ladies' College, before acquiring its final name - The Mary Erskine School - in 1944. In 1966, the school moved to Ravelston, Murrayfield.
Stewart's Melville College
Stewart's Melville College originated from the merger of the Merchant Company of Edinburgh's two all-boys' day schools - Daniel Stewart's College and Melville College - in 1972.
Daniel Stewart's College
Daniel Stewart's Hospital was founded in memory of Daniel Stewart, an Edinburgh-based merchant and Macer to the Court of the Exchequer. Upon his death in 1814, Stewart left a sum of money and instructions that, once it had reached £40,000, it was to be used to create a hospital for needy boys within the city.
Located on the current Queensferry Road campus, the David Rhind-designed Old College was opened in 1855. Refounded as Daniel Stewart's College following the passage of the passage of the Education Act of 1872, the school became fee-paying. From 1924 onwards, the College's uniform was a cap with red and black stripes and a black blazer with red trim.
Melville College Melville College was founded as The Edinburgh Institution for Languages and Mathematics by the Rev. Robert Cunningham in 1832. Unusually for the time, the school placed it's teaching emphasis on then-modern subjects, such as science, rather than classical subjects. Initially located on George Street, the school moved to Hill Street, and then to 8 Queen Street, which was purchased in 1853. In 1920, the Institution moved again to Melville Street, in the city's West End, after which it was renamed in 1936 to Melville College. About the same time, the school's caps and blazers were changed to bright red.
Merger In 1972, the two schools merged to become Daniel Stewart's and Melville College - later shortened to Stewart's Melville College.
Following the merger, the Colleges' uniforms were amalgamated; Melville College's bright red trim replaced the Daniel Stewart's College blazers' dark red trim for general use, whilst the red blazer of Melville College was adopted for those awarded colours (e.g. for sporting and other achievements). Later the red blazer was limited to the head boy and his deputies, with colours being signified with a particular tie.
Erskine Stewart Melville Schools Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools (ESMS) was formed in 1977 through the Merchant Company's consolidation of The Mary Erskine School and Stewart's Melville College. Whilst the senior schools retained their distinct identities, a coeducational nursery and junior school was formed, with Nursery to Primary 3 housed on Mary Erskine's Ravelston campus, and Primary 4 to 7 on Stewart's Melville's Comely Bank campus. The two campuses lie approximately one mile (two km) apart. A combined, coeducatioaln sixth form was also founded, with teaching split across both sites.
In 2013, Stewart's Melville was voted the Scottish Independent School of the year by the Sunday Times newspaperLeonard, Sue (2013) Success is Catching in and out of the Classroom The Sunday Times, Retrieved 8 March 2014 and Mary Erskine School was voted the Scottish Independent School of the year in 2012.Allardyce, Jason (17 November 2012) Mary Erskine and Boroughmuir top our schools guide The Sunday Times (requires subscription), Retrieved 8 March 2014
In 2014, the combined Erskine Stewarts Melville Schools, with over 2,700 pupils,(2014) Erskine Stewarts Melville Schools Scotland's Boarding Schools, Scottish Council of Independent Schools, Retrieved 8 March 2014 claimed to be the largest independent school in Europe. In the same year, a programme of improvement work on buildings of the junior school was announced, with work beginning in 2018.
In February 2023, it was announced by principal Anthony Simpson that the boarding house would close by July 2025, citing costs and the facility not being compatible with the school's vision for the future. The allocation of resources towards the boarding house was not sustainable, as at the time of the announcement, there were only 19 boarders, accounting for less than 3% of all pupils at the school.
Erskine Stewart Melville It was announced in October 2024 that Stewarts Melville will undergo a merger with its sister school, Mary Erskine, in the beginning of the 2026/2027 academic year and the combined school would be called Erskine Stewart Melville (ESM). The school stated that it would create a more inclusive community and it would also be more financially efficient.
Academics
Examinations Erskine Stewart Meville pupils predominantly sit for Qualifications Scotland (QS) examinations, including National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher papers. English GCE Advanced Level examinations can also be sat in art, product design, and music.
In 2014 and 2016, Mary Erskine's was top of the Sunday Times list of independent secondary schools in Scotland using the Scottish Examinations system and in 2015 was judged the best Scottish School by Advanced Highers by Best-Schools. In 2025, it was reported that 91% of National 5 results at the school achieved levels A or B and 89% of Higher Grade results were also at levels A or B.
Destinations Almost all leavers were planning to go on to higher education. In 2025 Which School Advisor reported that typically 60% of students go on to study in Scottish universities, 30% to English, Northern Irish or Welsh universities and some to North American Universities.
Sport The school is involved in a wide variety of sports, most of which are coached by mixture of staff from general departments as well as the Physical Education (PE) department staff. Sports include Aerobics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Cross-country, Curling, Dance, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Golf, ice skating, Highland Dancing, Hockey, Sailing, Skiing, Squash, Swimming, Tennis and Volleyball.
Facilities Ravelston Sports Club is a large on-site sports centre and gym opened in 2000 and is split across both campuses. The sports centre is mainly used by pupils for physical education lessons and sports training (such as swimming, basketball, badminton, short tennis and table tennis) but is also open to members of the public for a monthly membership fee. There is also a school shooting range located at the Ravelston campus.
Extensive rugby, cricket, hockey pitches and athletics facilities are also located at the school's sports grounds in Inverleith, two miles north of the school. The main stadium at Inverleith dates back to the 1890s and was the main ground of the Scotland national rugby union team until 1925.Stewart's Melville Inverleith Sports Field, Tim's 92
Rugby Stewart's Melville College has won the Scottish Rugby Schools Under 18 Cup six times; in 1999 (in their first year of entering), 2006, 2011, 2016, 2019 and most recently in 2024.
Stewart's Melville RFC, the successor to the school's Former Pupils' Rugby Club, was founded in 1973, following the merger of Daniel Stewart's College and Melville College. The club currently plays in Division 2 of the Scottish League Championship.
Hockey Erskine Stewart Melville fields both boys' and girls' hockey teams during the winter term. Since at least 2007, the girls' program has been noted for excelling in hockey, with over six teams competing at senior level and many pupils playing at National level.
Erskine Stewart's Melville Hockey Club, the school's Former Pupils' Hockey Club, was founded in 1987.
Football Stewart’s Melville College won the Scottish Independent Schools (SISFA) in 2025. At the Indodrill Stadium in a 4-1 victory over St Aloysius College
Cricket
Athletics
Swimming
Golf Stewart's Meville College Former Pupils' Golf Club was founded in 1887 and is based at Murrayfield Golf Club.
Arts
Music and drama Almost 800 children sing regularly in choirs performing in all kinds of venues from the Usher Hall to St Peter's in the Vatican, from Songs of Praise to sharing the stage with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
The Junior School had provided the choir to the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo since 2013.
In addition to this 300 children from Primary 4 to senior sixth Form play in school orchestras and bands (including Pipe Band and Jazz Band).
Boys and girls from the Junior School have had favourable reviews while performing over 680 times in professional West End touring musicals including over 220 appearances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Senior pupils have won prestigious scholarships to American Drama Schools and starred on TV.
Tom Fleming Centre
Between 2005-07, the school's Victorian assembly hall, built within the Old College's former courtyard, was converted into an 800-seat performing arts centre. Retractable seating provides a variety of possible configurations It is available for use by the public and is used as a venue during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The £3.5 million project, was part-funded by donations by current parents and former pupils.
In 2011, actor John Cairney unveiled the new name for the centre, the Tom Fleming Centre for Performing Arts, named after former pupil Tom Fleming, one of Scotland's leading broadcasters.
Culture The school is non-denominational but claims to have a broadly Christian outlook.
Carbisdale