Accommodation is arranged for our students with host families. Families are interviewed by our Accommodation Officer and then interviewed again separately by Mrs Darling who makes the final selection and placement. A great deal of care goes into the choosing of our host families as they play an vital role in the summer school programme.

Our families have or have had children of their own and are thus experienced in providing a caring environment where students are encouraged to take part in family life. The backgrounds and interests of the students and families are matched as far as possible and we ensure that there is never more than one guest of each nationality unless parents request such an arrangement.

Families meet their guests personally on arrival to Edinburgh and welcome students into their homes as "one of the family". Whilst bedrooms are usually shared, students always have a quiet place to study within the home. Evenings and weekends are spent with the family who act in loco parentis for our students. Host family children are invited to join us at the Hamilton School for our afternoon and evening activities.

We are proud of the fact that 99% of students who return to our school request to stay again with the same host family -- a sure indication of the strong friendships which are formed each summer between our students and their "adopted" Edinburgh families.