Brechin High School
Encyclopedia
Brechin High School is a non-denominational secondary school
in Brechin
, Angus
, Scotland
.
Feeder primary schools include two in Brechin
: Andover and Maisondieu and four rural schools: Edzell, Lethnot, Stracathro, and Tarfside.
Historically, school pupils were split into three houses
: Dalhousie, Kinnaird and Trinity (named after local country estates) with siblings always being placed in the same house but this system was recently changed and pupils are now split between houses Careston, Dun, Farnell and Menmuir (named after small local villages).
The school is situated in the north-west of Brechin, near the A90
bypass, and next to a disused railway line.
The school is currently pioneering several new whole-school educational approaches. These include:
) Standard Grade(S3 & S4 only), Intermediate, Higher or Advanced Higher qualifications.
took place in 2009, and the provision by the school was generally found to be "Fair" although results were well below other scottish schools; 25 key points of improvement were identified. By 2010, HMIE found that the school had made progress to address these points.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Brechin
Brechin
Brechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era...
, Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Admissions
It has approximately 660 students, and a staff of 50. The school has a relationship with the town's cathedral stretching back to the early 15th century, with the formation of the choir school.Feeder primary schools include two in Brechin
Brechin
Brechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era...
: Andover and Maisondieu and four rural schools: Edzell, Lethnot, Stracathro, and Tarfside.
Historically, school pupils were split into three houses
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
: Dalhousie, Kinnaird and Trinity (named after local country estates) with siblings always being placed in the same house but this system was recently changed and pupils are now split between houses Careston, Dun, Farnell and Menmuir (named after small local villages).
The school is situated in the north-west of Brechin, near the A90
A90 road
The A90 road is a major north to south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.From Edinburgh, it travels west and over the Forth Road Bridge, before turning into the M90 motorway. At Perth, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee...
bypass, and next to a disused railway line.
The school is currently pioneering several new whole-school educational approaches. These include:
- Increasing the length of one period from 40 to 53 minutes - making learning time less fragmented and longer.
- Form class after first period - so the day begins with learning, not admin.
- Vertical form classes - smaller registration groups including members of each year (S1-S6), organised by house, designed to give pupils a sense of familial belonging, and allow older pupils to become role-models and mentors to younger pupils.
First Year and Second Year (S1 & S2)
Students in First and Second Year (S1 & S2) follow a common course of study. In English and Mathematics, staffing allows students to be broad-banded by ability, as shown their performance in Primary School and in First Year.Third Year to Sixth Year (S3 - S6)
Students in the Third Year to the Sixth Year study a smaller number of subjects of their own choice leading SQA (Scottish Qualifications AuthorityScottish Qualifications Authority
The Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
) Standard Grade(S3 & S4 only), Intermediate, Higher or Advanced Higher qualifications.
Current inspection
The last inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of EducationHer Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for the inspection of public and independent, primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges, community learning, Local Authority Education Departments and teacher...
took place in 2009, and the provision by the school was generally found to be "Fair" although results were well below other scottish schools; 25 key points of improvement were identified. By 2010, HMIE found that the school had made progress to address these points.
Grammar school
- William Carrick Anderson DScDSC-in academia:* D.Sc., Doctor of Science* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine* Dalton State College, Georgia* Daytona State College, Florida* Deep Springs College, California* Dixie State College of Utah...
FRSCFellow of the Royal Society of ChemistryFellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry is awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom. Achieving Fellow status in the chemical profession denotes to the wider community a high level of accomplishment as a professional chemist...
, chemist. - Dame Anne BeggAnne BeggDame Anne Begg, DBE is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South since 1997...
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Labour Member of Parliament since 1997 for Aberdeen SouthAberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)Aberdeen South is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. - Dorothy Geddes, FRCSFellowship of the Royal College of SurgeonsFellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
OBE, Professor of Oral Biology at the University of GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and the first woman to hold a chair in dentistry. - William GuthrieWilliam Guthrie (historian)William Guthrie was a Scottish writer and journalist, now remembered as a historian.-Life:The son of an Episcopalian clergyman, he was born at Brechin, Forfarshire, in 1708...
, eighteenth century historian and geographer. - Joseph Fairweather LambJoseph Fairweather LambJoseph Fairweather Lamb MB ChB BSc PhD FRSE is a retired senior Scottish academic, emeritus professor and former Chandos Chair of Physiology at the University of St Andrews....
FRSERoyal Society of EdinburghThe Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
, Chandos Chair of PhysiologyChandos Chair of Medicine and AnatomyThe Chandos Chair of Medicine and Anatomy is a Chair in Medicine and Anatomy of the University of St Andrews, Scotland. It was established in 1721, by a bequest of £1000 from James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos - then the Chancellor of the University...
at the University of St AndrewsUniversity of St AndrewsThe University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
. - Arthur McIntosh CBECBECBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, Chief Constable from 1934-56 of Dunbartonshire Constabulary. - David Myles, Conservative Member of Parliament from 1979-83 for BanffshireBanffshire (UK Parliament constituency)Banffshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1983...
. - James Small DScDSC-in academia:* D.Sc., Doctor of Science* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine* Dalton State College, Georgia* Daytona State College, Florida* Deep Springs College, California* Dixie State College of Utah...
MRIARoyal Irish AcademyThe Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
FRSE, Professor of Botany from 1920-54 at Queen's University Belfast. - Janey Walker, Head of Education from 2006-10 at Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
Television, now an OfcomOfcomOfcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
executive, and married to Hamish Mykura, Head of Documentaries at Channel 4 and Head of More4More4More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
. - Sir Robert Watson-WattRobert Watson-WattSir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, KCB, FRS, FRAeS is considered by many to be the "inventor of radar". Development of radar, initially nameless, was first started elsewhere but greatly expanded on 1 September 1936 when Watson-Watt became...
KCBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
FRSRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
FRAeSRoyal Aeronautical SocietyThe Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
, inventor of radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. - David WillDavid WillDavid Will CBE was a Scottish association football administrator who held a number of prominent positions....
CBECBECBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, Vice-President from 1990-2007 of FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
. - Allan Esselmont, controller of the television station BBC AlbaBBC AlbaBBC Gàidhlig is the department of BBC Scotland that produces Scottish Gaelic language programming. This includes TV programmes for BBC Alba and BBC Two Scotland, the BBC Radio nan Gàidheal radio station and the BBC Alba website.-Television:...
. - Professor Stewart Asquith, Phd University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, St Kentigern Chair for the Study of the Child University of GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, world renowned authority on Public Policy and Child Welfare, founder of the Centre for Rural Childhood.
External links
- Brechin High School - official website
- Brechin High's on Scottish Schools Online