Albyn School | |
---|---|
Address | |
17-23 Queen's Road , Aberdeenshire , AB15 4PB Scotland | |
Coordinates | 57°08′29″N2°07′55″W / 57.1414°N 2.1319°W Coordinates: 57°08′29″N2°07′55″W / 57.1414°N 2.1319°W |
Information | |
Type | Private day school |
Motto | Vigor et Juventas (Vigour and Youth) |
Established | 1867 |
Founder | Harriet Warrack [1] |
Headmaster | Stefan Horsman |
Gender | Coeducational |
Age | 2to 18 |
Enrolment | 800 |
Houses | Gordon , Stuart , Douglas and Forbes |
Colour(s) | Green |
HMIE report | 5 September 2006 |
SEED number | 5281938 |
Head of Lower School | Nathan 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.
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. 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]
In 2016, the school reintroduced boarding. However, in 2021, the school announced that it would discontinue boarding again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]
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]
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]
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]
In the United Kingdom, private schools or independent schools are fee-charging schools, some endowed and governed by a board of governors and some in private ownership. They are independent of many of the regulations and conditions that apply to state-funded schools. For example, pupils do not have to follow the National Curriculum, although, some schools do. Historically the term 'private school' referred to a school in private ownership, in contrast to an endowed school subject to a trust or of charitable status. Many of the older independent schools catering for the 12–18 age range in England and Wales are known as public schools, seven of which were the subject of the Public Schools Act 1868. The term "public school" derived from the fact that they were then open to pupils regardless of where they lived or their religion. Prep (preparatory) schools educate younger children up to the age of 13 to prepare them for entry to the public schools and other independent schools.
Malvern St James is an independent school for girls in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, England. Founded in 1893 as Malvern Girls' College, it was renamed Malvern St James following a merger in 2006 with St James's School in West Malvern. It continues to occupy the same campus as the former college, which includes as its main building the former Imperial Hotel, taken over for use as a school by Malvern Girls' College in 1919.
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.
The Abbey School is a private selective day school for girls, in Reading, Berkshire, 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, which was rated 'Excellent' by Education Scotland in its most recent inspection.
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 Margaret’s is an independent charitable trust that warmly welcomes girls of all denominations and faiths.
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.
Exeter School is a private co-educational day school for pupils between the ages of 7 and 18 in Exeter, Devon, England. In 2019, there were around 200 pupils in the Junior School and 700 in the Senior School.
Hazelwood School is a private preparatory school located in Limpsfield, Surrey.
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.
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.
Chinthurst School is an independent co-educational nursery, pre-preparatory and preparatory school in semi-rural surroundings in the village of Tadworth, Surrey, England, 15 miles south of the centre of London. As a member of the RGS Group, the school is associated with Reigate Grammar School and Reigate St Mary's School. Its pupils' ages range from two to eleven years.
Devonshire House preparatory school is a co-educational independent IAPS day school for children from 21⁄2 to 11 for girls and to 13 for boys. The school is based in four large Victorian houses in Hampstead. The school currently has about 640 pupils.
St. Aubyns School was a boys' preparatory school in Rottingdean, East Sussex, England, which in its final years became co-educational and taught children of both sexes between the ages of three and thirteen. The school was founded in 1895, taking over the premises of another school which had been founded in the 18th century by Dr Thomas Hooker, the local Vicar who was also reputedly a lookout for the local smugglers.
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.
Wellington School is an independent 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.
Wychwood School is an independent school for girls aged 11–18, located in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. The school is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and is a registered charity. The school is located on the southern corner of Bardwell Road and Banbury Road in North Oxford. The Dragon School is located close by, further down Bardwell Road.
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.