Perth Academy | |
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Address | |
Murray Place , , PH1 1NJ Scotland | |
Information | |
School type | State school, High School |
Motto | Pro Rege Lege et Grege |
Founded | 1696 |
Status | Currently Active |
Local authority | Perth and Kinross Council |
Rector | Eleanor Paul |
Number of pupils | 1016 [1] |
Education system | Secondary education |
Language | English |
Hours in school day | 6.5 not including after school activities |
Colour(s) | Navy blue and white |
Sports | football, curling, hockey, trampoling, rugby and gymnastics |
Feeder schools | [1] Balbeggie Primary, Collace Primary, Goodlyburn Primary, Guildtown Primary, Letham Primary, Robert Douglas Memorial School, Viewlands Primary |
Website | https://www.perthacademy.org.uk/ |
Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. [2] The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the Perth and Kinross Council area.
While able to claim a strong connection to the Perth Grammar School founded in the 12th century,[ citation needed ] the name Perth Academy first appears in 1542 when it was founded by the town council, still making Perth Academy one of the oldest schools in Scotland. [3] The first Rector of the school was the Honourable John Murray (later Duke of Atholl); at this time it was considered a purely honourable title, before later being given to the head teacher of the school. By April 1762 accommodation was first provided for the school, in the form of a two-storey building which occupied the site of the current city hall.
At this time education in Perth was provided by a variety of smaller institutions each specialising in a particular field. By the 1800s it was felt that the disparate nature of these, often cramped, buildings was detrimental to the efficiency and success of the schools. This, combined with a new appreciation of the value of education, led to a new building being built to house the different schools. Designed by Robert Reid, later the King's architect, work on this building was started in October 1803, and finished for the start of the teaching year in 1807. [4] The building housed the Academy (at the time specialising mostly in Maths and the sciences), the Grammar (specialising in mostly Classics, History and Philosophy), the English School, the French school, the Drawing and Painting school, and the Writing school. Together they were known as the public Seminaries, and were housed in what is now known as the Old Academy, on Rose Terrace, near the North Inch of Perth.
This arrangement was continued until 1892, when, under the terms of the 1878 Education Act, control of the schools was transferred from the council to the newly created school board. At this point the term Seminaries was no longer used and the institution began to be officially termed Perth Academy, with the other schools being termed as departments within the school in the 1873 prospectus. Teachers were still paid separately and collected their share of the tuition fees directly from the students in their classes. In 1881 that this was changed, with the fees going into a central treasury before being redistributed.
In 1915 the Academy was amalgamated with the rival Sharp's institution, also located in Perth, leading to a decrease in the fees paid by students. [5]
The school moved to its present site at Viewlands on 1 September 1932, construction on the building having begun two years earlier. The buildings were designed by the Edinburgh architects, and school specialists, Reid & Forbes, one of their late classical works.
Up to 1968 the school was a selective senior secondary school with entrants being required to sit an entrance exam. At this time the schools had a large catchment area of over 642 square miles and including Dunkeld, Kinross, Errol, and Methven. In 1971 the school become a comprehensive school serving all pupils within a smaller catchment area.
Large extensions were added to the school in 1990, including a separate building for a Gymnasium and Games Hall, as well as workshops and an Art studio. The science labs were also renovated at this time with computing rooms being added and suites created for the music and business departments. [6]
Perth Academy is situated in the middle of extensive grounds, stretching to some 11.93Ha, a large part of which comprises sports pitches. The campus is shared with Viewlands Primary School, with many students attending both during their education, and Fairview School, an additional support needs school. [7] The main building for Perth Academy holds all the schools classrooms across two floors, including several science labs, computer rooms, carpentry and metal working rooms, and kitchens for the teaching of cookery. The school canteen is in a separate, smaller building which outside lunch times also serves as a gym room and holds a suite of exercise equipment such as treadmills. There is also a separate block housing the Physical Education department which includes two indoor areas for gym and sports activities. A map of the world has also been painted on the playground as a part of the World at your Feet project run by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society aimed at encouraging the education of school children in geography. [8] In 2014 construction started on a new all-weather pitch, despite resistance from many of the pupils, as the construction meant the removal and destruction of a Scots Pine tree, older than the school itself. [9] The pitch was finished in time for the start of the 2014/15 Summer Term, fully kitted out with football and hockey goals and painted with appropriate pitch lines.
The school follows the national curriculum for Scotland, including the teaching of cooking and technical subjects. In line with Scottish Parliament education policy the school is moving to the new Curriculum for Excellence.
As well as the subjects taught within the school, Perth Academy has established links with other education establishments in Perth including Perth High School and Perth College. [10] These links allow the school to indirectly offer courses outwith its usual capacity to teach.
The school provides a wide range of activities for students and was praised by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education for the development of young people through these activities. [11]
The school regularly fields teams for, and hosts, events including hockey and rugby, [12] as well as competing in athletics at county sport level. [13] The school also tries to help develop skills in the pupils as team leaders through activities such as a Sports Leader course and by giving pupils the chance to help lead sports sessions at the neighbouring Viewlands Primary and Fairview schools. There is also netball, table tennis, basketball, badminton, gymnastics, a cheerleading squad and dancing. [14] The school also runs an award-winning "school of rugby"programme for S1 & S2 pupils. This initiative is jointly funded by the School, Perthshire RFC and Scottish Rugby Union, utilising the "cash back for communities fund"
Perth Academy was awarded the silver award in January 2006 for its participation in activities relating to Eco-Schools Scotland. The silver flag award is the middle award between bronze and green. In order to obtain the silver flag award, Perth Academy had to use their initiative to involve some students in activities relating to the following categories: Litter, Energy, Health and well-being, Transport, Waste Minimisation, Biodiversity, School Grounds, Water, Sustaining our world and lastly food and the environment. [15]
The school was inspected by Her Majesty's inspectorate in 2010 and was rated as "satisfactory" or "good" in every category. [11]
The school serves a large, mostly rural, catchment area, split into three distinct areas: [6]
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south; it borders the counties of Inverness-shire and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus to the east, Fife, Kinross-shire, Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire to the south and Argyllshire to the west. It was a local government county from 1890 to 1930.
Perth is a centrally located Scottish city, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and is the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about 47,430 in 2018.
Perth and Kinross is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Dundee, and Fife to the east, Clackmannanshire to the south, and Stirling and Argyll and Bute to the west. Perth is the administrative centre.
Crieff is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become a hub for tourism, famous for whisky and its history of cattle droving. Attractions include the Caithness Glass Visitor Centre and Glenturret Distillery. The nearby Innerpeffray Library is Scotland's oldest lending library. St Mary's Chapel beside it dates from 1508. Both are open to the public: the library is run by a charitable trust; the chapel is in the care of Historic Scotland.
Dunblane is a town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links to much of the Central Belt, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Aberfeldy is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the River Tay. A small market town, Aberfeldy is located in Highland Perthshire. It was mentioned by Robert Burns in the poem The Birks Of Aberfeldy and in the Ed Sheeran song The Hills of Aberfeldy.
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about 8 miles (13 km) west of the city of Perth. The college opened in 1847 as Trinity College, Glenalmond and was renamed in 1983. Originally a boys' school, Glenalmond became co-educational in the 1990s.
The High School of Dundee is a private, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only private school in Dundee.
Dollar Academy, founded in 1818 by John McNabb, is a private co-educational day and boarding school in Scotland. The open campus occupies a 70-acre (28 ha) site in the centre of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, at the foot of the Ochil Hills.
Inverness Royal Academy is a comprehensive secondary school in the city of Inverness in the Highland area of Scotland.
Perth High School is a six-year, non-denominational comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. Established in 1950 at Gowans Terrace in a post-war prefabricated structure of a type that had not previously been used for any large school in Scotland. The school relocated to its present location in 1971, two years after the opening in 1969 of the adjacent Oakbank Primary School. It stands in extensive grounds occupying a position on a hill overlooking Oakbank Road and Viewlands Road West.
Perth Grammar School is a secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It is located in the Muirton district of Perth at the junction of Bute Drive and Gowans Terrace. The catchment serves the area to the north of Perth between Murthly and Methven while a part of its catchment is urban, serving Tulloch, Muirton and North Muirton.
David Kinnear Thomson was the chairman and president of Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited, whisky blenders and exporters based in Perth, Scotland. He served as Lord Provost of Perth from 1966 to 1972 and chairman of Tayside Health Board from 1973 to 1977.
The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational private day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully private school in Glasgow.
Bertha Park High School is a non-denominational state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland.
The Old Academy is an historic building in Perth, Scotland. Located on Rose Terrace, overlooking the southern end of the North Inch, it is a Category A listed building, built between 1803 and 1807. It was the home of Perth Academy between 1807 and 1932.
Perth Sheriff Court is an historic building on Tay Street in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is used as the main courthouse for the area, is a Category A listed building.
Bell's Sports Centre, formerly known as the Gannochy Trust Sports Complex, is located in Perth, Scotland. Built in 1968, it stands at the western edge of the city's North Inch park, adjacent to Balhousie Castle.
Joan Knight, OBE, was a British stage manager and director. She worked at the Royal Court Theatre and the Palace Theatre, Watford. She ran the Ludlow Theatre festival for three years. She was artistic director of Perth Theatre, Scotland, from 1968 until her retirement in 1993. During this time, she also served briefly as director of productions of Pitlochry Festival Theatre. She was offered a National Theatre directorship by Laurence Olivier, which she declined. She was a governor of Queen Margaret University College and a board member of Perth College. Known locally as Perth's "Queen of Theatre", she was presented with the DK Thomson Award in 1982 for her outstanding contribution to drama, and the Perth Partnership Rosebowl in 1993. She received an OBE for services to theatre in 1985. She was a council member of the Scottish Arts Council from 1980 to 1986.
Public transport in Perth and Kinross is available for two main modes of transport—bus and rail—assisting residents of and visitors to the Perth and Kinross council area, without their own vehicle, to travel around much of its 2,041 square miles (5,290 km2).