Albyn School

Last updated

Albyn School
Albyn logo.jpg
School badge
DSCF1782 Albyn School Aberdeen.jpg
Frontage of the school building
Address
Albyn School
17-23 Queen's Road

Aberdeen
,
Aberdeenshire
,
AB15 4PB

Scotland
Coordinates 57°08′29″N2°07′55″W / 57.1414°N 2.1319°W / 57.1414; -2.1319
Information
Type Private day school
MottoVigor et Juventas
(Vigour and Youth)
Established1867
Founder Harriet Warrack [1]
HeadmasterDavid Starbuck
GenderCoeducational
Age2to 18
Enrolment800
HousesGordon, Stuart, Douglas, Forbes
Colour(s) 
Head of Lower SchoolNathan Davies
Website http://www.albynschool.co.uk/

Albyn School is a coeducational private day school, founded in 1867 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Albyn was originally an all-girls school before becoming co-educational in 2005. The school has a nursery, primary school and secondary school; pupils can attend from 2 years old to 18 years old.

Contents

History

Establishment

The school was founded in 1867 by Harriet Warrack as a private school for upper-middle-class girls. Following her retirement the running of the school was passed on to Alexander Mackie. [1] [2] In 1886 the school moved into premises at Nos 4-6 in a terrace diagonally opposite St Margaret’s School for Girls and was officially known as the Albyn Place School for Girls, but most people knew it as "Mackie's", because of the reputation of principal Alexander Mackie. It was also known as the Union Place Ladies' School for a period.

Centenary

In 1967, the school celebrated its centenary. Under the direction of Headmistress Dorothy Kidd, a volume was produced outlining the school's history. For much of its history, Albyn was a boarding school and only recently became a day school. [3]

Recent history

In 2016, the school reintroduced boarding. However, in 2021, the school announced that it would discontinue boarding again due to COVID-19 restrictions. [4]

Overview

Buildings

The building at 21 Queen's Road, the former boarding house taken over by the school in 1920, dates from 1884 and is a listed building. It was originally built as a villa for one of the owners of a paper mill. The listing notes that the "grand interior ... is remarkably complete". [5]

Funding for expansion of the school buildings was agreed in 2011. [6]

Houses

School performance and inspections

Albyn School in 2020 Albyn School Aberdeen founded by Harriet Warrack.jpg
Albyn School in 2020

In 2009 and 2010 consecutively, Albyn School received the best Higher exam results among the schools in Aberdeen. [7]

In 2015, Education Scotland inspected the school; they were critical of the school's child protection policies, governance and plans for development of leadership. [8] [9] They also commented that some children had recently been distressed by letters stating that they had under-performed and might not be able to continue attending. [9] [10]

As of 2020, Education Scotland most recently visited the school in 2016, when they found that it was continuing to improve and that achievement of and support for pupils was good. [11]

As of 2020, the most recent inspection of the school's boarding provision by the Care Inspectorate was in 2018; the provision was graded as Very Good on all measures. [12] The nursery provision was also inspected in 2018, and graded as Good on the two measures which were assessed. [13]

In 2020, the school was reported as having bought more consultancy services from the Scottish Qualifications Authority to analyse pupils' work and improve grades than any other school had done. [14]

Charitable status

The school's charitable status was reviewed and confirmed in 2013 by the Scottish Charity Regulator. [15] The report noted that "In 2012-13 the school spent 1.6% of its gross income on means-tested bursary provision; this is one of the lowest proportions of income spent on such provision which we have seen among the independent school charities reviewed so far". [15] 16 pupils, 2.4% of the number on roll at the school, were receiving means-tested bursaries. [15] However, it also noted that both the proportion of income spent on means-tested bursaries, and the numbers of pupils receiving bursaries, had increased for the 2013-14 year: to 5.1% of projected income, 40 pupils. [15]

Notable former pupils

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private schools in the United Kingdom</span> Fee-paying school in the United Kingdom

Private schools in the United Kingdom are schools that require fees for admission and enrollment. Some have financial endowments, most are governed by a board of governors, and are owned by a mixture of corporations, trusts and private individuals. They are independent of many of the regulations and conditions that apply to state-funded schools. For example, the schools do not have to follow the National Curriculum for England, although many such schools do.

Education in Scotland is provided in state schools, private schools and by individuals through homeschooling. Mandatory education in Scotland begins for children in Primary 1 (P1) at primary school and ends in Fourth Year (S4) at secondary school. Overall accountability and control of state–education in Scotland rests with the Scottish Government, and is overseen by its executive agency, Education Scotland, with additional responsibility for nursery schools being the joint responsibility of both Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate. Scotland's private schools are overseen by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools. Children in Scotland sit mandatory National Standardised Assessments in Primary 1 (P1), Primary 4 (P4), Primary 7 (P7) at the end of primary school, and Third Year (S3) in secondary school, which assist in monitoring children's progress and providing diagnostic data information to support teachers' professional judgement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dame Allan's School</span> Private day school in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Dame Allan's Schools is a collection of private day schools in Fenham, in the west end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It comprises a coeducational junior school, single-sex senior schools and a coeducational sixth form. Founded in 1705 as a charity, the original schools are two of the oldest schools in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birkenhead School</span> Private day school in Oxton, Merseyside, England

Birkenhead School is a private, academically-selective, co-educational day school located in Oxton, Wirral, in North West England. The school offers educational opportunities for girls and boys from three months to eighteen years of age.

St George's School is an independent girls' school situated in the Ravelston district of Edinburgh, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashby School</span> Academy in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England

Ashby School, formerly known as Ashby Grammar School, is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school and sixth form in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. The school is situated in the centre of Ashby on two sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Margaret's School for Girls</span> Private day school in Aberdeen, Scotland

St Margaret’s School for Girls is the oldest all-through girls’ school in Scotland and caters for pupils aged three to 18 in a nursery, junior school and senior school.

St Mary's School was a private Roman Catholic day and boarding school for girls, founded in 1945 in a rural setting near Shaftesbury, England. The school had a sixth form and was a member of the Girls' Schools Association. After operating at a loss for some time, the school closed in July 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exeter School</span> Private day school in Exeter, Devon, England

Exeter School is a private co-educational day school for pupils between the ages of 3 and 18 in Exeter, Devon, England. The younger year groups are based at Exeter Pre-Prep School in Exminster, which was previously known as The New School. In 2019, there were around 200 pupils in the Junior School and 700 in the Senior School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazelwood School</span> Private preparatory day school in Oxted, Surrey, England

Hazelwood School is a private preparatory school in Limpsfield, Surrey, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Packwood Haugh School</span> School in near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England

Packwood Haugh School is a co-educational private preparatory school for pupils from the ages of 4 to 13, offering places for both day and boarding pupils. It is located in Ruyton-XI-Towns, midway between Oswestry and Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. Fees are around £6 000 a term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate</span> Independent boarding and day school in York, North Yorkshire, England

Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate incorporates four boarding and day schools for girls and boys from 3 months to 19 years old, located in Thorpe Underwood, near Little Ouseburn, close to York and Harrogate, England. It is a member of the Independent Schools Association. It is named after Æthelburh of Kent.

Durham High School is a single-sex independent day school for girls aged 3 to 18 years old in Durham, United Kingdom.

Devonshire House preparatory school is a co-educational independent IAPS day school for children from 2 to 13 for girls and boys. The school is based in four large Victorian houses in Hampstead. The school currently has about 640 pupils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prior's Field School</span> Private school in Surrey, UK

Prior's Field is an independent girls' boarding and day school in Guildford, Surrey in the south-east of England. Founded in 1902 by Julia Huxley, it stands in 42 acres of parkland, 34 miles south-west of London and adjacent to the A3 road, which runs between the capital and the south coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington School, Ayr</span> Private day school in Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland

Wellington School is a private day school in Ayr, Scotland. The school was founded in 1836 as a school for girls, today the co-educational school provides both primary and secondary education between its Junior and Senior Schools for around 580 pupils between the ages of three and eighteen years. Wellington School generally draws its pupils from across Ayrshire.

Mary McMurtrieDA SBA was a Scottish botanical artist and horticulturalist. She wrote and illustrated several books of wild flowers and became internationally recognised for her botanical art. She continued painting and publishing until she was over a hundred years old, becoming recognised as the oldest working artist in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wychwood School</span> Girls school in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England

Wychwood School is a co-educational private day and boarding school for pupils aged 11–18, located in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. The school is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and is owned by Albion Schools and Wychwood School Charity Ltd. The school is located on the southern corner of Bardwell Road and Banbury Road in North Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Warrack</span> British school founder and Headmistress

Harriet Warrack was a British school founder and Headmistress of Albyn School. The school was the largest academic school for girls in Aberdeen and she inspired her students to include a university degree in their ambitions.

References

  1. 1 2 "History". Albyn School - Aberdeen, Scotland. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ↑ Moore, Lindy (23 September 2004). "Warrack, Harriet (bap. 1825, d. 1910), headmistress" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/53692 . Retrieved 9 March 2019.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ↑ "Redevelopment Information | Albyn School | Independent School | Aberdeen, Scotland". Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Proctor, David (12 November 2021). "Aberdeen school to close boarding due to pandemic impact". Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland (1992). "21 QUEEN'S ROAD, ALBYN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, INCLUDING ANCILLARY STRUCTURE, GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS (LB20718)" . Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "HSBC back Albyn School expansion". Insider. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Private school pupils attaining record level of A-grade Highers". Heraldscotland.com. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Albyn School chairman apologises over 'mosquitoes' comments". BBC News. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  9. 1 2 Denholm, Andrew (24 June 2015). "Scottish private school "distressed" pupils with academic demands". The Herald. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  10. ↑ Walsh and Jaffray, Stephen and Chris (26 February 2015). "Albyn School accused of threatening to "bin" under performing pupils". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Monaghan, Aileen (2016). "Albyn School, Aberdeen" (PDF). Education Scotland. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Albyn School - Boarding School Care Accommodation Service". Find a care service. Care Inspectorate. 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "Albyn School Nurseries - Day Care of Children". Find a care service. Care Inspectorate. 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  14. ↑ McEnaney, James (5 January 2020). "Revealed: the private schools that buy in exam help from government body". The Ferret. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Notice of decision on individual review of charitable status SC008392 Albyn School Limited" (PDF). OSCR. Scottish Charity Regulator. 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  16. ↑ Terry, Roy. "McDougall, Grace Alexandra (1887–1963)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/59610.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  17. ↑ Murray, Leanne (8 July 2019). "Aberdeen-born actress tells of life on BBC drama Years and Years". Evening Express. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Mary McMurtrie". Scotsman. 10 November 2003. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.