Merchiston Castle School to open an international school in Shenzhen, China

Merchiston Castle School, one of Scotland’s most prestigious boarding schools, is delighted to announce the establishment of its new international school in Shenzhen, China. 

Merchiston Castle International School, Shenzhen, will open its doors to the first students in September 2018. Recent government figures have revealed that international schools now inject almost £1 billion into the British economy.

The Edinburgh-based boys’ school’s venture comes on the back of a rising demand for British international schools abroad and over a year of collaboration with China-based parent/investor, Mr Jianjun Lyu. 

Mr Lyu was so impressed with the way Merchiston, Edinburgh, educated his son that he has signed an exclusive agreement to develop a family of Merchiston schools across China. 

These new schools will support a broader educational approach, combining the best of Merchiston’s successes alongside traditional Chinese subjects and will provide opportunities for exchange programmes for both pupils and staff. This partnership will have positive financial gains for Merchiston, Edinburgh and will enable the Edinburgh-based school to build upon its means-tested financial assistance scheme and to expand its already outstanding facilities.

Built for 1,200 pupils, the new Merchiston Castle International School will cater for boys and girls aged 5-18 years, teaching IGCSEs and A Levels in the senior years and a Sino-Scottish curriculum throughout the junior years. With accommodation for 600, the senior school will be exclusively for boarding pupils. 

Speaking at a signing event on Sunday in Shenzhen, attended by Deputy Consul-General of the British Consulate-General in Guangzhou, Mr. Andrew Ould, Mr Andrew Hunter, Headmaster of Merchiston, Edinburgh commented that: “This is an exciting chapter for Merchiston and I am proud to be exporting the unique Scottish boarding school educational philosophy for the benefit of Shenzhen’s growing global citizens.”

The first Headmaster of Merchiston Castle International School, Scotland-educated Mr Chris Lynn, will take up his new post in January 2018. Currently Head of Secondary at Nexus International School, Malaysia, he has many years of experience both in the UK and internationally.