Merkinch Primary School, Inverness
Merkinch Primary School is a primary school for pupils in Inverness.
- Attendance
- 87.7%
Data last updated 25 Oct 2026
Merkinch Primary School in detail
School in Scotland
Merkinch Primary School is a local authority school in Scotland. Scottish schools are inspected by Education Scotland rather than Ofsted, and Scotland does not publish school-by-school exam league tables.
Merkinch Primary School has a pre-school (nursery) class.
In the 2025 pupil census it had 216 pupils, an average class size of 24 and 13.1 pupils per teacher.
81% of P6-P7 pupils are registered for free school meals, 59% of pupils have an additional support need recorded and 11% speak English as an additional language.
91% of its pupils live in Scotland's most deprived fifth of areas and 0% in the least deprived fifth (SIMD).
Attendance was 87.7% in 2024/25, and 44% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
The 2026 school estate survey rated its buildings' condition as good (A) and their suitability for teaching as good (A); the school was 63% full.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Merkinch Primary School are Bishop Eden's Primary School (0.4 miles), Muirtown Primary School (0.5 miles), St Joseph's RC Primary (0.5 miles) and Central Primary School (0.6 miles).
Bishop Eden's Primary SchoolMuirtown Primary SchoolSt Joseph's RC PrimaryCentral Primary School
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Inverness Rail Station, about 960 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pumpgate Street (after), 110 metres away.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Merkinch Primary School are Inverness High School (0.6 miles), Millburn Academy (1.1 miles) and Charleston Academy (1.2 miles).
Sources: Scottish Government school statistics: pupil census, attendance and absence, school estate, leaver destinations (OGL); NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
Scottish GovernmentInspection
Schools in Scotland are inspected by Education Scotland, not Ofsted. Find Merkinch Primary School's reports on the inspectorate's website.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Keep up with Merkinch Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 3 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Highland is 0 (the median across 195 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Merkinch Primary School
Questions parents ask about Merkinch Primary School
What is the catchment area for Merkinch Primary School?
Scottish schools have catchment (zoned) areas, and Merkinch Primary School is no exception: children living in its zone are normally given a place there automatically. Families who want a different school make a placing request to Highland. Highland publishes the zone boundary.
How do I apply to Merkinch Primary School?
If you live in Merkinch Primary School's catchment zone your child is normally allocated a place automatically, and Highland will write to you. To ask for a place here from outside the zone, make a placing request to Highland - requests usually open in November and close in mid-March for the following August.
How many road collisions happen near Merkinch Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 3 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Highland is 0 (the median across 195 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Merkinch Primary School?
Merkinch Primary School is at Telford Road, Inverness, Inverness, IV3 8HY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)