Elgin Academy, Moray

Elgin Academy is a secondary school in Elgin, Moray, Scotland.

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 Force base at Lossiemouth.

History

Elgin Academy is one of the biggest 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, on the site that is now Moray College.^[2]

The third Elgin Academy building, on Morriston Road, was built in the late 1960s and opened in 1967. The Tower Block was before demolition the tallest building in Moray and had seven floors with "The A Floor" being the lowest level and "The F Floor" being the highest. There was also an "X", "Y" And "Basement" levels. The basement level contained the 5th and 6th year common rooms used by students in their final two years at the school.

In 2006 plans to merge the academy with Elgin High School were rejected after a public consultation.^[3] Instead a new £30 million building was constructed under Private finance initiative, and opened in 2012.^[4]

Current building

The current building, completed in 2012, forms a wedge shape and is made up of three floors. The Green (Which is the top floor) The Blue (Ground Floor) and The Yellow Floor (Below Ground).

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
• Jodi Henderson - current World Champion Kick Boxer^[5]
• Kimberley Clarke - Taekwondo 2 bronze medals at Junior Olympics New Delhi 2011 and Taekwondo patterns instructor
• Josh Cruickshanks - 2 bronze medals for Taekwondo also at the Junior Olympics in Feb 2011

List of Headteachers

• Ian Andrew - 1922 to 1933 (later Head of Robert Gordon's College from 1933 to 1943, and from 1943 to 1953 of George Watson's College)
• Harry Bell OBE - 1933 to 1936 (later Rector of Dollar Academy from 1936 to 1960)
• 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
• Margaret Cowie - Taking over in January 2007, Mrs Cowie was 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.
• David Barnett - started in August 2011. Formerly Rector of Buckie High School.

Notable former pupils

• Chris Clark, football player Aberdeen
• Prof Alexander Stuart Douglas, Regius Professor of Medicine at Aberdeen University
• Valerie Stacey, Lady Stacey, judge
• Leslie Benzies, President of Rockstar North
• Kevin McKidd, actor
• Mark Dry, British hammer thrower, Bronze medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Grammar school

• Prof F. F. Bruce, Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis from 1959 to 1978 at the University of Manchester
• Brigadier Helen Cattanach CB, Matron-in-Chief and Director of Army Nursing Services from 1973 to 1976 of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
• Sir William Duguid Geddes, Vice-Chancellor from 1885 to 1900 of the University of Aberdeen
• Robin Harper, former co-convenor of and first MSP for Scottish Green Party
• Dr Allan Macartney, Deputy Leader from 1992 to 1998 of the SNP, and SNP MEP from 1994 to 1998 for North East Scotland
• Sir Arthur Mitchell CB, Commissioner in Lunacy for Scotland from 1870 to 1895, and father of the architect Sydney Mitchell

References

External links

• Official website