Numbers up

I have noticed articles concerning falling numbers in the independent education sector for the 2010-11 academic session and, while I do understand that this may be the case with some schools, and there may be a very marginal drop in applications across the sector, I would have to say that our projected numbers at the Erskin Stewart's Melville Schools for 2010-11 are actually higher than the numbers we had on the roll at the start of the 2009-10 academic session.

Since we are the largest independent schools, not only in Scotland, but in Europe, the health of our own schools, in terms of capacity, is therefore significant even if the overall figures for the sector in Scotland are slightly depressed owing to economic circumstances.

J N DAVID GRAY

Principal

Erskin Stewart's Melville Schools

Edinburgh