"A former pupil continues to experience anxiety relating to his experiences of corporal punishment at Merchiston in the 1950s—he reports having bad dreams and emotional difficulty in dealing with people in authority. He shared with the Headmaster an extended reflection of his experience at Merchiston between 1955-60 which we include as Appendix D4. He refers to "lasting anxiety" caused by his memories of school and he also acknowledges that his parents made "big sacrifices to send me to Merchiston for which I remain very grateful. Several of my cohort remain life-long friends."—from Part D "Abuse, 5.7: Impact" of Merchiston Castle School's response to the Section 21 notice* from the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, presented as an appendix to Part D concerning "Abuse" at the school.

*In SCAI terminology, a Section 21 notice is a formal legal notice issued by the SCAI Chair under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005. It requires a person or organisation to provide information to the Inquiry—usually documents, a written statement, or answers to questions.