Girls from St. George's were among the first female graduates of Edinburgh University. In 1912 the school took its first board students and the following year St George's Training College became part of the school. By 1920 it had fifty trainee teachers. In 1939 the training college facility closed. During the second world war the army had the use of the school building whilst the students went south. Hallrule Hall in Bonchester Bridge became the school's temporary home from 1939 to 1942. When the students returned the building had to be renovated. Curriculum The school's academic curriculum is a mix of GCSEs at 16, followed by Highers and Advanced Highers in the Sixth Form (S5 and S6). In 2006 the headteacher started a cooperation programme with Chinese institutions, and by 2007 the school had Chinese clubs and Standard Mandarin as one of the languages offered. Examination Courses St George’s students follow two-year GCSE courses, leading to examination at age 16, at the end of S4. Most girls will take nine subjects, including English Literature and English Language. Following GCSEs, the vast majority of pupils will stay on to complete Highers at 17 (typically studying five subjects) and Advanced Highers at 18 (typically studying three or four subjects) in preparation for university entrance. Co-curriculum Activities include: the Model United Nations and Debating clubs an extensive international student exchange programme with partner schools around the globe the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Combined Cadet Force, and charitable fundraising numerous orchestras, choirs and bands, winning national competitions and performing on international tours sports teams covering everything from tennis, hockey, lacrosse, fencing, athletics, judo, and many more A recent addition to the clubs is the engineering club in which the school are restoring a Triumph Spitfire car. The school has its own St George’s Spitfire girl, Annie, who was at St George's as a boarder from 1924, with her younger sister. She died on 2 October 2011. Her obituary in 'The Telegraph' described how Britain's most famous fighter 'plane, the Spitfire, was named after her. Her father was Sir Robert McLean, chairman of Vickers in the 1930s. He worked with the engineer R J Mitchell who was responsible for the aircraft's design. When the time came to name it, McLean suggested 'Spitfire', his affectionate name for his daughter, Annie. International Programme The school has a well established exchange programme with partner schools in Australia,