Elgin Academy is a
secondary schoolScotland 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...
in the city of
ElginElgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
,
MorayMoray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
,
ScotlandScotland 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
Pupils at Elgin Academy are in years S1 to S6. Most arrive in first year (S1) from one of the nearby primary schools, which include Bishopmill Primary, West End Primary, East End Primary, Seafield Primary and St Sylvesters, to name but a few. Other pupils arrive in later years, mainly because of the nearby
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base at
LossiemouthRAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland. It is one of the RAF's biggest bases and is currently Britain's main base for Tornado GR4s. From 2013 the Northern QRA force of Typhoon F2 will relocate to Lossiemouth following the closure of...
.
History
Elgin Academy is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, with a history going back to the Middle Ages. The first school was built on the adjacent corners of
Academy Street and
Francis Place, now the site of the local youth cafe. The second academy, built in 1801, is now
Moray CollegeMoray College is a further education college based in Elgin, in Moray, northeastern Scotland. It has 1,500 full time students and 8,100 part time students...
.
The current Elgin Academy, on
Morriston Road, was built in the late 1960s. Plans to merge it with
Elgin High SchoolElgin High School is a secondary school situated on High School Drive Elgin, Moray, Scotland.-The school:Elgin High School is one of two secondary schools in Elgin, the other being Elgin Academy. All examinations follow the structure of the Scottish Qualifications Authority...
were canceled by public demand. A new school, built under
PPPThe private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
, is scheduled to open in February 2012.
http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_54090.html
Former teachers
- Robert Allardyce CBE, Director of Education from 1929-44 of Glasgow, and from 1919-25 of Clackmannan County Education Authority (taught Classics from 1902-5)
Standard Grades
At Elgin Academy, SQA Standard Grades are nearly always sat in S4 after two years' work. Standard Grades will however be phased out in the future and be replaced by the National Qualifications 4 and 5, details of which are still being resolved by SQA.
Intermediate 1 and 2 and Access
The school has a wide range of Intermediate 1 and 2 and Access courses available from 3rd through to 6th year students.
Advanced Highers
These courses run depending on interest and numbers of pupils. They run for one year for 6th year pupils
Activities days
Years S1, S2 and S3 partake in three days of activities, some of which take place abroad, each May during the exam period while S4-S6 are on study leave from the school. There are trips to Edinburgh and London and abroad to places which range from France, Holland, Germany and Belgium. Other activities take place in and around Elgin and Moray such as quad-biking, archery, golf, fishing and more.
The building
The current Academy was built in 1967. It comprises several areas. It is to be replaced with a new one which can be seen at http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file61992.pdf. Building work is expected to start at Easter 2010 and to finish in 2012.
The tower block
The Tower Block is currently the tallest building in Moray and comprises seven floors with "The A Floor" being the lowest level and "The F Floor" being the highest. Each floor in the tower block is dedicated to a particular subject, except "A" which contains a variety of subjects such as Biology, Computing, Business Management and Home Economics. The school library is also situated on the A floor, and access to the Physical Education department can be found here as well.
- B - Chemistry
- C - Physics
- D - Drama
- E - Social and Vocational Studies as well as Religious and Moral Education,
- F - Art
There is also a station on top of the tower block which is used mainly by the Geography department to study the weather and other geological factors. This is no longer used due to health and safety reasons and due to a group of former pupils who threw a dummy from the top as a sixth year leaving day prank which resulted in the librarian collapsing as the dummy smashed through the safety glass window.
X&Y floors
The X floor is situated below the Y floor. English, Modern Languages and the Support for Learning base are housed on the X floor, while Maths and Social Sciences (History, Geography and Modern Studies) are located on the Y floor. The staff room can be also accessed from the X floor.
The X floor is on the same level as the Assembly Hall and Reception but is raised off the ground on large "stilts". The section under the X&Y floors has been, for decades, colloquially called "The Skins" and "The scoobs".
Basement
The basement is not, as its name suggests, situated underground. It houses the two common rooms - one for S6 and another for S5 - and are used purely for social purposes at lunchtime, at interval, before and after school. They house lockers for both years. Access to these rooms requires a deposit by the two year groups, which is usually refunded at the end of the year if no damage to the rooms has been caused. The basement also houses the First Aid room and School Nurse's (Mr. Mark Swinglehirst) room. It also contains the office of Deputy Head Teacher, Mrs Dempsey as well as the entrance/exit door for S5/6.
Awards
The Elgin Academy Awards Ceremony is held annually at the beginning of the last week of term before the summer holidays begin.
- The Dux of Elgin Academy is presented to the sixth-year pupil with the best performance across all undertaken subjects.
- The Dux of S5 is presented to the fifth-year pupil with the best performance across all undertaken subjects.
- Merits are awarded for general good work and behaviour or sometimes for completing a more specific task. Merits are recorded in each pupil's student planner and on the completion of a set number of pages certificates (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) are awarded.
Sport
The school has many sporting organisations and teams, including: Badminton, Football, Hockey, Table Tennis and Volleyball.
Swimming
In 1991 Cameron Bruce, Andrew Goodall, Sandy Scott and David Bryce won both gold in the Medley and Freestyle relays at the Scottish Schools Swimming Open Finals.
Martial Arts
- Kick Boxing Yasmin Anderson - former World Champion Kick Boxer
- Jodi Henderson - current World Champion Kick Boxer
- Kimberley Clarke - Taekwondo 2 bronze medals at Junior Olympics New Delhi 2011 and Taekwondo patterns instructor
- Josh Cruickshank - 2 bronze medals for Taekwondo also at the Junior Olympics in Feb 2011
Headteachers of Elgin Academy
- Ian Andrew - 1922 to 1933 (later Head of Robert Gordon's College from 1933-43, and from 1943-53 of George Watson's College)
- Harry Bell OBE - 1933 to 1936 (later Rector of Dollar Academy
Dollar Academy was founded in 1818, which makes it the oldest co-educational day and boarding school in the world. The open campus occupies a site in the centre of the thriving town of Dollar in Central Scotland, less than 40 minutes drive from the two main Scottish cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh...
from 1936-60)
- Henry Humble - 1950 to 1964
- Alastair Glashan - 1964 to 1987
- Norman Strachan - from 1987 until his death in 2001
- Alistair Brown - from May 2001 to October 2006, leaving the school to join Her 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...
- Mr. Alastair Rossetter served as acting Headteacher between Mr Brown and Mrs Margaret Cowie
- Margaret Cowie - appointed in December 2006, the first ever woman to head the school in its 205 year history. Mrs Cowie was latterly a Deputy Head Teacher in Berwickshire. She moved to Paris when her Church of Scotland minister husband was appointed to the Scots Kirk in the city.
- Mr David Barnett was appointed in June 2011 to take the Academy into the next chapter in our new school building. Formerly Rector of Buckie High School.
Notable former pupils
- Chris Clark (footballer)
Christopher "Chris" Clark is a Scottish professional footballer who plays in the Scottish Premier League for Aberdeen, having previously played for Plymouth Argyle...
, football player AberdeenAberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
- Valerie Stacey, Lady Stacey
Valerie Elizabeth Stacey, Lady Stacey is a Scottish lawyer, and a Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the country's Supreme Courts. She was the first woman ever elected Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates.-Early life:...
, judge
- Kevin McKidd
Kevin McKidd is a Scottish television and film actor and director. Before playing the role of Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, McKidd starred as Lucius Vorenus in the historical drama series Rome, and provided the voice of Captain John "Soap" Mactavish in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the sequel...
, actor who appeared as Lucius Vorenus in the BBC's RomeRome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
- Blair Jenkin, former Head of BBC Scotland News then member of Broadcasting Commission set up by First Minister
Grammar school
- Lt-Col William Allan OBE, Chief Constable of Argyll from 1920-7
- Susan Brodie, first girlfriend of Prince Charles
- Prof F. F. Bruce
Frederick Fyvie Bruce was a Biblical scholar and one of the founders of the modern evangelical understanding of the Bible...
, Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis from 1959-78 at the University of ManchesterThe University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
- Ian Cameron, Sheriff of Grampian, Highland and Islands at Elgin from 2001-8
- Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines.Brigadier is the superior rank to Colonel, but subordinate to Major-General....
Helen CattanachBrigadier Helen S. Cattanach, CB, RRC was Director of British Army Nursing Services and Matron-in-Chief of QARANC...
CB, Matron-in-Chief and Director of Army Nursing Services from 1973-76 of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing CorpsQueen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps is the nursing branch of the British Army and part of the Army Medical Services....
- Very Rev James Cooper, Professor of Church History from 1899-1922 at the University of Glasgow
The 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 Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of ScotlandThe Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
from 1917-18
- Prof Alexander Douglas, Regius Professor of Medicine
The Regius Chair of Medicine and Therapeutics is considered the oldest Chair at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1989 from the merge of the Regius Chairs of the Practice of Medicine and of Materia Medica...
from 1970-85 at the University of Aberdeen
- Alexander Fraser, Editor from 1899-1900 of the Lancashire Daily Post
- Sir William Duguid Geddes
Sir William Duguid Geddes , Scottish scholar and educationalist, was born in Aberdeenshire. He was educated at Elgin academy and university and King's College, University of Aberdeen, and after having held various scholastic posts he was appointed in 1860 professor of Greek and in 1885 principal of...
, Vice-Chancellor from 1885-1900 of the University of AberdeenThe University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
- James Goodsman CBE, Director from 1990-3 of the Conservative Party in Scotland
- James Grant CBE, Editor from 1960-75 of The Press and Journal
- Robin Harper
Robin Harper FRSSA is a Scottish politician, and was a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothians region. He was co-convener of the Scottish Green Party...
MSPMember of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
, former co-convenor of and first MSP for Scottish Green PartyThe Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
- Prof George Henderson, Professor of Philosophy from 1959-80 at the University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
, and Editor from 1962-72 of The Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical Quarterly is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. The current editor-in-chief is Tim Mulgan. Every year the journal holds an Essay...
- Sir Alexander Jeans, Editor from 1904-24 of the Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
, and whose daughter married Sir David HardieSir David Hardie was an Australian medical practitioner.Hardie was born on at New Spynie near Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland, son of John Hardie, farmer, and his wife Margaret...
- William Jeans, parliamentary journalist
- Dr Allan Macartney
Dr Allan Macartney was a Scottish National Party MEP for the North East Scotland constituency between the 1994 European Parliament election and his sudden death from a heart attack in 1998.Born in Africa, the son of a Church of Scotland minister, his family soon returned to Scotland and he was...
, Deputy Leader from 1992-8 of the SNP, and SNP MEP from 1994-8 for North East ScotlandPrior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
- Maj-Gen
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
Stuart MacDonald CB CMG
- Helen MacKenzie, artist
- Sir Arthur Mitchell
Sir Arthur Mitchell K.C.B., M.D. was a Scottish doctor involved in the study and care of patients with mental illness. He served on several public commissions, and also wrote a number of works on historical subjects.-Biography:...
CB, Commissioner in Lunacy for Scotland from 1870-95, and father of the architect Sydney MitchellArthur George Sydney Mitchell was a Scottish architect. He designed a large number of bank branches, country houses, churches and church halls...
- Edmund Mitchell, novelist
- Grant Ramsay, former Principal of the Institute of Hygiene
Royal Institute of Public Health is a British awarding body recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.- History :In October 2008 the RIPH merged with the RSH to form the new Royal Society for Public Health...
- William Reid, Sheriff of Tayside, Central and Fife from 1983-2004
See also
- Elgin, Moray#Music - former pupils of Elgin Academy performed and still perform in many DIY bands out of Elgin, Moray