Admissions Journey

We are delighted that you are considering Erskine Stewart Melville Nursery for your child.

The best way to find out about our Nursery is to come along for a visit, meet our teachers and see the children at play. Please contact our Admissions Manager, Hannah Ireland, to arrange a tour, or click ‘Book a Visit’ below and we will be in touch to get your tour organised.

It’s never too early to apply for a place in our Nursery – many parents even do so right after their baby is born! Places are offered based on application date, with some priority given to siblings and ensuring a good balance of boys and girls.

Even if your child is a little older, it’s always worth getting in touch, as spaces can occasionally open up due to family moves.

Children are not formally assessed to join our Nursery and most of our Nursery children naturally progress into Primary 1 without an assessment. Entry into Primary 1 does require an assessment and there are fewer places available, so joining our Nursery is a great way to secure your child’s place in our Junior School.

Simply click the ‘Apply Now’ button below to complete our application form. Once submitted, a member of our Admissions Team will be in touch to discuss the next steps with you.

The best way to find out about Erskine Stewart Melville is to visit the School. We’d love to show you around! Attend an Open Day to experience our vibrant school community, meet friendly staff, explore our fantastic facilities, and see our students in action, or select ‘Book a visit’ below and a member of our Admissions Team will be in touch to arrange a personal tour.

You can join the Junior school at any time from Nursery to Primary 7. However, we find that the earlier children join the better they will do in every aspect of their education.

Children joining Primary 1 and 2 enjoy small class sizes, a range of specialist lessons and support from Teaching Assistants in each class, ensuring that every child is nurtured and challenged.

For parents wishing to leave their applications until their child is further up in primary school we recommend you start in Primary 6. There are fewer spaces in Primary 7 and families leaving it until this point can be disappointed when we do not have any spaces available. Primary 6 is also a great time to join for social and educational reasons. It gives our teachers two years to fill in any gaps in children’s learning and ensure they are prepared academically for Senior School. Socially we form new classes at the start of Primary 6 by mixing up our own Primary 5 children and adding new ones which means that new boys and girls find it easier to settle in. The boys and girls then have two years to build strong friendships which they will take with them into Senior School. The vast majority of children in our Primary 7 move on into S1.

Our School assessments can be arranged at any time during the school year although most take place between October and April, with specific Assessment Days and Weeks for Primary 1- Primary 3 usually taking place in November – January. For those living outside Edinburgh, we may be able to send out entrance papers or arrange for the assessment to be administered by your child’s current school. Primary 1, 2 and 3 assessments are carried out in a one-to-one situation with a senior teacher who will put your child at ease and make the session fun. Primary 4-7 children are assessed in small groups. There is no pass mark for any of our assessments, we just want to make sure that we can meet the needs of your child.

We allocate places for some of our Year Groups by January so it is a good idea to get your application in early.

If you haven’t had a chance to apply early, we occasionally have late spaces, so please get in touch and we’ll do our best to find a place for your child.

Simply click the ‘Apply Now’ button below to complete our application form. Once submitted, a member of our Admissions Team will be in touch to discuss the next steps with you.

The best way to find out about Erskine Stewart Melville is to visit the School. We’d love to show you around! Attend an open day to experience our vibrant school community, meet friendly staff, explore our fantastic facilities, and see our students in action, or select ‘Book a visit’ below and a member of our Admissions Team will be in touch to arrange a personal tour.

We hold our entrance assessment for S1 in January each year. It covers Maths, English, and Verbal Reasoning. If you live far away or overseas, we can send the assessment to your child’s school. The assessment for August 2025 entry will be on 
Thursday, 9 January 2025.

If you are applying for a space from S2 onwards, you can apply at any time during the year prior to proposed entry.  However, we would encourage you to apply early in the session prior to the proposed year of entry.

Assessments for pupils entering S2 and S3 include papers in English, Maths and Verbal Reasoning. We will also seek references/reports from your child’s current school.

Entrance to S4 is possible only in exceptional circumstances: this is the second year of the two-year National 5 qualification and a change of school between S3 and S4 is rarely advisable. However, if there are reasons which necessitate a change of schools, we would consider these on an individual basis.

There is no formal assessment for entrance to S5, but an offer is subject to references/reports from your child’s current school and predicted examination results. Your child should also have strong passes at National 5 or GCSE equivalent in the subjects they are planning to study in S5.

If you haven’t had a chance to apply early, we occasionally have late spaces, so please get in touch and we’ll do our best to find a place for your child. Please contact Admissions for details of available places.

It is helpful if applications are submitted by end of December before the proposed year of entry. This year, it would be helpful to apply before Monday, 9 December 2024 for August 2025 entry, but you can still apply after this date.

Simply click the ‘Apply Now’ button below to complete our application form. Once submitted, a member of our Admissions Team will be in touch to discuss the next steps with you. Once the application form has been completed, we will be in touch to chat about your child’s application. There’s a £90 non-refundable fee to pay at the end so please have your debit or credit card ready.

For places in S1 in Senior School, we make offers to children assessed in January on the offer date agreed with other Edinburgh Independent schools. This is usually in mid-February. If you have applied out with the usual timeframe or for places in older year groups, our Admissions team will be in touch with you following your assessment.

We believe that every child deserves the chance to experience an exceptional education. That’s why we offer a bursary programme to provide financial assistance to families who demonstrate a need. To be considered for a bursary, please inform Admissions and complete an application form.

Students joining Erskine Stewart Melville Sixth Form typically take at least three courses at Higher or Advanced Higher level.

Applications to Sixth Form are managed individually, and we’re here to guide you through each step. We’ll ask for references and reports from your child’s current school and invite them for a relaxed interview with our Director of Sixth Form to get to know them better.

We are happy to receive applications at any time during the year prior to proposed entry, and we’re here to help make the process smooth and easy. If you have any questions along the way or would like guidance on the next steps, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Simply click the ‘Apply Now’ button below to complete our application form. Once submitted, a member of our Admissions Team will be in touch to discuss the next steps with you. There is a non-refundable application fee of £90 per child, which will be collected at the end of the form, please have your debit or credit card ready.