St George's School, Edinburgh

The history of the school is an important part of the story of the Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women and their drive to create university education for women in Scotland. The first meeting had taken place in 1866 before involving Mary Crudelius, Madeline Daniell and Sarah Mair.[6] Their aim was to get women into Edinburgh University and Walker became the "chief intellect and administrator".[7] In 1876, the ELEA decided to improve the pre-university stage of women's education and advertised classes in St. George's Hall to help women pass university entrance level qualification. They also developed correspondence courses for women who could not attend classes,[8]

In 1885 Mary Russell Walker was recalled from the Maria Grey Training College to Edinburgh[7] to lead the St George's Training College which would train the first women secondary school teachers in Scotland. Mary was made the head of the college and when St. George's High School for Girls was formed in 1888 she became its head as well.[7] The first fifty students started in October 1888 using a building in Melville Street.[9] The school was the first Scottish day school for girls which taught students all the way up to university entrance level. Girls from St. George's were among the first female graduates of Edinburgh University.[7]

In 1912 the school took its first board students[10] and the following year St George's Training College became part of the school. By 1920 it had fifty trainee teachers.[11]

In 1939 the training college facility closed.[11] During the second world war the army had the use of the school building whilst the students went south. Hallrule Hall in Bonchester Bridge became the school's temporary home from 1939 to 1942. When the students returned the building had to be renovated.[12]

The school's academic curriculum is a mix of GCSEs at 16, followed by Highers and Advanced Highers in the Sixth Form (S5 and S6).[13]

In 2006 the headteacher started a cooperation programme with Chinese institutions, and by 2007 the school had Chinese clubs and Standard Mandarin as one of the languages offered.[14]

Activities include:

• the Model United Nations and Debating clubs
• an extensive international student exchange programme with partner schools around the globe
• the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Combined Cadet Force, and charitable fundraising [16]
• numerous orchestras, choirs and bands, winning national competitions and performing on international tours
• sports teams covering everything from tennis, hockey, lacrosse, fencing, athletics, judo, and many more
• A recent addition to the clubs is the engineering club in which the school are restoring a Triumph Spitfire car. The school has its own St George’s Spitfire girl, Annie, who was at St George's as a boarder from 1924, with her younger sister.  She died on 2 October 2011. Her obituary in 'The Telegraph' described how Britain's most famous fighter 'plane, the Spitfire, was named after her.[17]  Her father was Sir Robert McLean, chairman of Vickers in the 1930s.  He worked with the engineer R J Mitchell who was responsible for the aircraft's design.  When the time came to name it, McLean suggested 'Spitfire', his affectionate name for his daughter, Annie.[18]

The school has a well established exchange programme with partner schools in Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, South Africa, Spain and the United States. The school also runs digital exchanges with partner schools across the world where students collaborate on curriculum projects.[19]

Many events are held in conjunction with the long standing Edinburgh boys' school, Merchiston Castle School.[21]

• Kaye Adams, broadcaster and journalist
• Carol Brown Janeway, translator and editor.[22]
• Phyllis Bone, sculptor and first female member of the Royal Scottish Academy
• Sheila Burnford, novelist
• Dr Cordelia Fine, academic psychologist and writer[23][24]
• Brigit Forsyth, actor
• Louise Linton, screenwriter and actress
• Candia McWilliam, award-winning author
• Penny Macmillan, journalist and broadcaster[23]
• Kathleen Scott, Baroness Kenett, sculptor.
• Marie Stopes, scientist, author and pioneer in the field of birth control.
• Katie Targett-Adams, musician and recording artist
• Alice Thompson, novelist, 1996 winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize
• Isabel Oakeshott, award-winning journalist, author and commentator

The girls from the ages of ten to eighteen live in Houldsworth House on the campus on the edge of the school grounds. The student Head of Boarding is elected by the boarders. The school has around 50 boarders, about 7% of the number of pupils.[25] The boarders form an integral part of the school and are made up of approximately 50% UK and 50% international students.[10] St George's School celebrated the centenary of boarding at the school in 2012.[26]

• Margaret Houldsworth
• Sarah Mair
• Jean Lindsay, headmistress, 1960–1976
• Mary Russell Walker

55°57′00″N 3°14′00″W