Why our families fall for Edinburgh

Choosing a boarding school is, in part, choosing a place, a location, a city. For Fettes families, that city is Edinburgh, and it does a great deal of the work in making them feel at home.

Fettes sits on a magnificent 100-acre wooded campus of stunning historic buildings, 15 minutes from the centre of one of Europe’s most walkable capital cities with unrivalled access to world-class culture, history and city life. The airport is about 25 minutes away. Families come from across Scotland, England, Ireland and well beyond, and most say the same thing on a first visit: how close everything is, and how easily the city moves around them.

That closeness changes what a day can hold. Edinburgh’s galleries, theatres, museums and universities are a short bus ride from our gates. The Royal Mile and the castle are part of the everyday backdrop. Stockbridge, a village within the city, is five minutes’ walk away. The Pentland Hills are near enough for a morning run. Learning here extends beyond the classroom.

Boarding is what ties this together. Students live and learn alongside each other, build independence, and form friendships that outlast school. A city like Edinburgh gives that community exceptional opportunities and somewhere to enjoy and grow into: safe enough for a group of teenagers to explore on their own, large enough that there is always something new to find. For parents travelling from a long way off, it makes every visit extra special.

We wanted to put some of that within reach for families before they even arrive, so we have created The Little Magenta Book.

The book grew out of a focus group of Fettes parents who gave their time and their favourite places, working in collaboration with Debbie Atkins, the school’s Director of External Relations. It covers where to eat, where to stay, and what to do in Edinburgh and the country around it, from a bakery worth queuing for to a walk to the castle in the footsteps of the school’s founder. In her introduction, Debbie describes it as a “bespoke directory to showcase our fantastic location of Edinburgh as a destination of choice, not only for the students at Fettes but for their families.”

The families who saw it early said The Little Magenta Book “feels of high quality and the reader immediately feels deeply connected to the Fettes community.” Another said: “It is simply amazing! Parents will just love it.”

The Little Magenta Book, our guide to Edinburgh and beyond, is available to all Fettes families and to those registered to apply to join. It is available in the Parent Portal of the school website using a ‘Page Passkey’, or by contacting admissions@fettes.com

Over the Autumn Term we will share some of the spirit of the book: walks, places and stories drawn from it. If you are getting to know Edinburgh, whether you are joining us or simply curious about the city, it is worth following us on our Instagram and LinkedIn or keeping an eye on this page.

For our families, Edinburgh stops being the place the school happens to be. It becomes part of the reason they came.

The Little Magenta Book