ESMS Junior School

The Junior School

The ESMS Junior School is a large, co-educational, independent junior school of approximately 1150 children who become members of either The Mary Erskine School (MES) or Stewart’s Melville College (SMC) when they finish Primary 7.

The Junior School has excellent facilities of its own as well as sharing those of the two senior schools. The ethos of the school is that each child’s individuality is nurtured within a structured and disciplined framework. We firmly believe that happy children will achieve more academically and in extra-curricular activities. The atmosphere is therefore a caring one with great emphasis on encouraging children to take part in the many opportunities open to them. Children are encouraged to take responsibility whilst being challenged both academically and in general as young people. They learn to make choices and develop confidence in a supportive and positive

environment in which our nine values, common across all three schools, are central to everything we do.

These values are emphasised at all times as an integral element of our provision. They are kindness, appreciation, integrity, respect, grace, responsibility, enthusiasm, commitment and confidence.

The Nursery and Primary 1-3 classrooms in the Junior School are situated within the grounds of The Mary Erskine School at Ravelston, and Primary 4-7 children are based within the grounds of Stewart’s Melville College on Queensferry Road.

We have very high expectations of all our teachers and children. The quality of our Class Teachers is central to the success of our school and each of them is respected as a highly-motivated and committed professional. We expect all our Class Teachers to have the ability to plan effectively, taking account of individual needs, and also to have the ability to create a positive, relaxed and purposeful environment for their children. Our teachers are expected to use a variety of teaching and learning strategies and to follow Junior School policies in respect of recording and assessment. We do not follow the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). We believe that what we offer reflects the values which are an essential element within the CfE but we also believe in the importance of a structured and more formal approach to the development of our children’s skills and confidence in all curricular areas, in particular Language and Mathematics. Regular and relevant assessments are integral to our approach, as is our commitment to ensuring that children and their parents are kept informed of their progress.