Dumfries Academy
Encyclopedia
Dumfries Academy is one of four secondary schools in the town of Dumfries
in South West Scotland.
Early records show that John of Greyfriars, a monk, was appointed rector of a new school in Dumfries in 1330. Being a church school it concentrated on the study of religious texts, but in the centuries which followed other schools built in the town which taught subjects such as Brewing, Mathematics, English, Baking and Needlework became integrated into the Academy building.
The Academy operated as a grammar school
for those in Dumfries deemed academically gifted as based on exam results until July 1983.
The curriculum comprises subjects in the fields of Arts & Creativity, Health, Food and Nutrition, Language & Literacy, Mathematics & Numeracy, the Sciences, Social Subjects and Technology.
In 2005, William McGair, History teacher at the Academy, was awarded the Scottish Daily Record Gold Award for Inspirational Teacher
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
in South West Scotland.
History
Dumfries Academy has existed in its present form, though not in the buildings it currently occupies, since 1804. However, its history dates back to the 14th century, making it the earliest school in the Dumfries area.Early records show that John of Greyfriars, a monk, was appointed rector of a new school in Dumfries in 1330. Being a church school it concentrated on the study of religious texts, but in the centuries which followed other schools built in the town which taught subjects such as Brewing, Mathematics, English, Baking and Needlework became integrated into the Academy building.
The Academy operated as a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for those in Dumfries deemed academically gifted as based on exam results until July 1983.
Uniform
The current uniform of Dumfries Academy consists of a white shirt, black/grey trousers or skirt, a plain maroon jumper or cardigan and a maroon and white striped tie.Due to increasing pressure from pupils, as of January 2011 the wearing of a black jumper or sweatshirt was included in the school uniform. During the 2006-2007 academic year, a senior tie consisting of a black background with white and maroon stripes, and including the school crest, was introduced, along with an optional maroon blazer for girls and boys.Dumfries Academy today
The Academy has been a six-year comprehensive school since July 1985 serving part of the Burgh of Dumfries and surrounding rural communities, with an average roll of over 700 pupils and around 50 teaching staff. Students are placed into one of three houses in their First Year; Criffel, Nithsdale and Solway.The curriculum comprises subjects in the fields of Arts & Creativity, Health, Food and Nutrition, Language & Literacy, Mathematics & Numeracy, the Sciences, Social Subjects and Technology.
Notable former pupils
- Sir J.M.Barrie - writer of Peter Pan attended the school from 1873, and it was here where his first play Bandelero the Bandit was performed by the Dumfries Amateur Dramatic Club in 1877.
- Rev. Dr. Henry Duncan, founder of the first savings bank
- Sir James AndersonSir James AndersonSir James Anderson captained the SS Great Eastern on the laying of the Transatlantic telegraph cable in 1865 and 1866.Anderson was born in Dumfries in south west Scotland and educated at the academy there....
, who captained the SS Great EasternSS Great EasternSS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
on the Transatlantic telegraph cableTransatlantic telegraph cableThe transatlantic telegraph cable was the first cable used for telegraph communications laid across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It crossed from , Foilhommerum Bay, Valentia Island, in western Ireland to Heart's Content in eastern Newfoundland. The transatlantic cable connected North America...
laying voyages in 1865 and 1866 - Sir James Crichton-BrowneJames Crichton-BrowneSir James Crichton-Browne MD FRS was a leading British psychiatrist famous for studies on the relationship of mental illness to neurological damage and for the development of public health policies in relation to mental health...
, eminent psychiatrist and President of the Medico-Psychological Association - James Oswald DykesJames Oswald DykesJames Oswald Dykes was a Scottish Presbyterian clergyman and educator].James Oswald Dykes studied at Dumfries Academy and at the universities of Edinburgh, Heidelberg, and Erlangen. He was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1859. From 1861 to 1864 he served with Dr. Candlish of Free St....
, ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1859 - Jane HainingJane HainingJane Haining was a Church of Scotland missionary. She worked in Budapest, where she was arrested by the Nazis in 1944. She died in the concentration camp at Auschwitz later that year.-Early life:...
, Church of Scotland missionary who ultimately lost her life to the Nazis rather than betray her convictions - Sir Alexander Knox HelmAlexander Knox HelmSir Alexander Knox Helm, GBE, KCMG , British diplomat, was Ambassador to Turkey and the last Governor-General of the Sudan.-Early years:Born to W. H...
, civil servant who held several important diplomatic posts - Dave HallidayDave HallidayDavid "Dave" Halliday was a Scottish footballing prolific goalscorer and trophy winning manager. His 38 goals in 1923-24 made him top scorer in Scotland's top flight that season and 43 goals in 1928–29 gave him the same distinction in England's top flight that season. He scored 376 senior goals as...
, one of the highest goalscorers in UK football history and manager of Aberdeen to the Scottish League championship - John LaurieJohn LaurieJohn Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
, actor famous for Dad's ArmyDad's ArmyDad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show... - Robin PhilipsonRobin PhilipsonSir Robin Philipson was a Lancashire-born painter who was influential within the Scottish art scene for over three decades.Philipson was born in Broughton-in-Furness and moved to Scotland with his family when he was 14...
, artist - John HansonJohn Hanson (singer)John Hanson was a Canadian-born British tenor and actor, who starred in several West End musicals during the 1950s and 1960s....
, singer - Dougie SharpeDougie SharpeDougie Sharpe was a former Scottish footballer who played for Queen of the South from the town of Dumfries.-Early years:...
, Scottish Football League internationalist - Maurice ElliottMaurice ElliottMaurice Elliott was a Scottish ex-professional footballer who was a forward. He was born in Dumfries and played for his home town club Queen of the South. He went on to play for Heart of Midlothian, Montrose and Stenhousemuir...
, professional footballer - Alex GrahamAlex Graham (cartoonist)Alex Graham was a British cartoonist best known as the creator of the cartoon strip "Fred Basset". He was educated in Dumfries at the academy there....
, cartoonist best known for the Fred BassetFred BassetFred Basset is a comic strip about a male basset hound. The cartoon was created by Scottish cartoonist Alex Graham and published first in the Daily Mail on July 8, 1963. It has since been syndicated around the world....
series - Jock WishartJock WishartJock Wishart is a maritime and polar adventurer, sportsman and explorer. Until his successful 2011 Old Pulteney Row To The Pole, he was been best known for his circumnavigation of the globe in a powered vessel, setting a new world record in the Cable & Wireless Adventurer a and for organising and...
, who in 1998 set a new world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powered vessel - Neil OliverNeil OliverNeil Oliver is a Scottish broadcaster and author. He grew up in Ayr and Dumfries before attending Glasgow University to study archaeology...
, archaeologist and author best known for his television work on the BBC series Coast and Two Men In A Trench - Stephen JardineStephen JardineStephen Jardine is a Scottish journalist and presenter. He has worked for Scottish Television, GMTV and Radio Tay. He now runs Scotland's first dedicated food and drink communications consultancy, Taste Communications.-Early years:...
, TV presenter - Barry NicholsonBarry NicholsonBarry Nicholson is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Preston North End.-Early years:...
, Scottish International Footballer - Davie IronsDavie IronsDavid John "Davie" Irons is a Scottish former professional footballer who has transitioned to football management.His playing career spanned 26 years as a central defender or midfielder...
, professional footballer and manager - an Gibson (politician)]
- erek Lawson (legend)]
- Roger WhiteRoger White (executive)Roger White from Dumfries in Scotland is the Chief Executive Officer of soft drinks group A G Barr.Roger White went to Dumfries Academy and then Edinburgh University where he studied geography, economics and business...
, CEO of soft drinks group A G Barr - Stephen HallidayStephen HallidayStephen 'Stevie' Halliday from Dumfries in South West Scotland is the CEO of international energy & metals consultancy organisation Wood Mackenzie.Halliday was promoted to CEO on 11 October 2007 as part of a long-term succession plan agreed in 2005...
, CEO of international energy & metals consultancy organisation Wood Mackenzie - Don PeattieDon PeattieDonald 'Don' Peattie from Dumfries is a Scottish ex professional association footballer. Peattie was a forward.Donald Peattie was on the books at Gretna F.C. until he completed his schooling at Dumfries Academy. On leaving school he went to Sheffield United for whom he played five league games in...
, ex professional association footballer and now Head of Sport at City of SunderlandCity of SunderlandThe City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
College - Ben Trueman, semi professional hitmanHitmanA hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
and part time mysticMysticismMysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
Awards
Among the achievements of Academy pupils are:--
- Winners of numerous sports awards including Scottish Champions in Football, Badminton, Golf, Judo, Mountain Biking and Rowing
- Winners of the Motorola Youth Parliament Competition four times
- Debating Champions of Scotland
- CBI and Motorola Award winners for Enterprise Education
- Robert Gordon's University Modern Studies Award for Scotland
- Pushkin Prize for Writing
In 2005, William McGair, History teacher at the Academy, was awarded the Scottish Daily Record Gold Award for Inspirational Teacher
See also
- Education in ScotlandEducation in ScotlandScotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...
- Scottish Qualifications AuthorityScottish Qualifications AuthorityThe 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...
- List of schools in the United Kingdom