Dunedin School

Dunedin is a “second chance” secondary school located in Edinburgh, which provides exceptional learning services for young people for whom mainstream education is not appropriate or who need time out from mainstream education. Many pupils arrive having experienced failure perhaps as a result of medical concerns, additional support needs or personal, social or emotional problems. At Dunedin school our prime concern is to care for each child by providing structured, yet flexible, learning opportunities in a safe and supportive environment.

Dunedin School is a “second chance” school which caters for young people, between the ages of 11 and 18, for whom mainstream schooling has been found to be inappropriate. Dunedin provides exceptional teaching services to a small number of educationally fragile and socially vulnerable young people, many of whom have had a fractured learning experience. Up to 21 pupils are enrolled at any one time. Pupils can be referred to Dunedin by educational psychologists, social workers or by a private placing request.

It is central to the Dunedin ethos that, irrespective of a pupil’s previous learning experiences, the individual placed at Dunedin should benefit from tailored teaching in a supportive environment. It is a guiding principle of the school that a high priority is placed on meeting the needs of, and nurturing, the individual. For this reason, the teachers exercise a more flexible and more mutually collaborative and co-operative way of working than would be the norm in a mainstream school.

Dunedin endeavours to provide structured yet flexible learning opportunities tailored to the individual, in a welcoming, sympathetic environment which promotes learning and enables each young person to realise his or her own potential.

The Aims of the School

• To encourage pupils to recognise Dunedin as a “second chance” school where they will be respected as the individuals they are
• To support pupils in developing self-respect, self-confidence and self worth
• To foster in pupils mutual trust and tolerance of others
• To reintroduce pupils to a holistic educational environment
• To provide a broad and appropriate curriculum
• To encourage a positive attitude to learning
• To motivate pupils to aspire to their full potential and, where appropriate, to present them for formal qualifications and/or exams
• To support pupils to move on to appropriate and sustainable destinations

Every pupil has access to instant and constant support. While each pupil is cared for by all staff, the school operates a tutor system which means that each pupil is allocated to a particular member of staff who is responsible for their overall pastoral care.

Staff work closely with outside agencies, for example Educational Psychologists, Social Workers and any other professionals who play a part in caring for each child.

Every pupil at the school has the opportunity to attend a planning or review meeting at least once in the year, and for more senior pupils who are preparing to move on from school, these meetings are often more frequent.