| Motto | "Ad altiora tendo" "I strive towards higher things." |
|---|---|
| Established | 1970 |
| Type | Secondary School |
| Headteacher | Ms Alison Murison[1] |
| Depute Headteacher | Mrs O'rourke, Mrs Bonsall & Mr Robertson |
| Location | Groats Road Aberdeen AB15 8BE [{Scotland]] |
| Staff | 75 FTE |
| Students | Approx 1000 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Bruce, Craigievar, Dunecht, Greyfriars & Marischal |
| Colours | Bottle green and navy blue |
| School Years | S1-S6 |
| Website | Hazlehead Academy |
Hazlehead Academy has four main feeder primary schools, which are Airyhall Primary School, Fernielea Primary School, Hazlehead Primary School and Kingsford Primary School - in addition to this, pupils who have been part of a Gaelic unit at Aberdeen's Gilcomstoun Primary School can transfer to Hazlehead, which offers Gaelic as part of the curriculum.
Also Holy Family School, Mile End pupils, Muirfield pupils and Kingswells children can attend Hazlehead, as well as former St. Joseph's pupils
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Hazlehead Academy is a six-year comprehensive school on the western edges of Aberdeen, adjacent to Hazlehead Park. It has a long history stretching back for over 100 years, though it has only existed in its present form since 1970, when the school moved from its former city centre site to the suburb of Hazlehead.
The school can trace its history back to 1894, when it was founded as the Central Public School. At this stage, it was a school for advanced education, and accepted pupils from all over the city. this role was reflected in a name change to The Central Higher School.
In 1924, the school became open to all pupils as a general secondary school, and was once more renamed as The Central Secondary School. In 1954, the name was changed for the last time before it moved, and it became Aberdeen Academy. At this point it was one of three selective 'Senior Secondaries' though the only one catering for both girls and boys in the same school.
Following the move to the new site in Groat's Road, the new buildings were officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 October 1970.
Hazlehead's current Rector is Ms Alison Murison, who recently took over from Brian Wood, who had been in charge of the Academy since 1993. During his time at the academy it has seen many changes but the school population has remained steady at around 1000 pupils. The school has a very strong reputation in sporting activities, several pupils having represented Scotland at national level in a variety of sports. Ex pupils include golfer, Richie Ramsey. [1] The school has also an excellent reputation in the performing arts having a sizeable orchestra and other musical groups and a drama group, Channel 5 Theatre Company, which has staged a range of productions in the school from Shakespeare to the rock opera 'Tommy'. [2]
As well as the usual academic opportunities for pupils, the academy provides a very comprehensive range of extra-curricular activities. The school mainly focuses on the arts, however the science department is sadly lacking in resources.
The school used to have only two houses, North and South. Pupils were split into these for a year long interhouse competition. Nowadays, there are five houses: Bruce (Blue), Craigievar(Green), Dunecht (Yellow), Greyfriars(White) and Marischal (red). Now due to budget cuts there is only four: Craigievar(Green), Dunecht (Yellow), Greyfriars(White) and Marischal (red). The interhouse competition now (as of 2009) contains a tug of war competition. It also has Tutor Team Challenges for each yeargroup, cross country and a Just a Minute competition in which pupils have to speak for a minute on a given subject without hesitation, repetition or deviation. 2010's Winners were Greyfriars House for the third year in succession.
At the end of the session 2010/2011, the "Bruce" house was dissolved, and the Bruce pupils were divided amongst the 4 remaining houses. The last interhous year which included all 5 original houses (2010/2011) was won by Marischal, thus ending Greyfriars' winning streak.
Senior pupils become House Captains in S5 or mostly S6. They play an important role in encouraging healthy competition amongst pupils who have a sense of belonging to their House.
Pupils go to school for 5 days a week from 8:30 to 2:45 (3:35 on Monday and Tuesday). The school day starts with form (registration) starting at 8:30. A warning bell sounds at 8:25 to encourage pupils to be on time for their next subject. Interval is from 10:20 to 10:35 and lunch is from 12:15 (12:10 for S1) to 1:05. A warning bell sounds at 1:00.
There are 6 periods in a day (7 on Monday and Tuesday). One period lasts 50 minutes. There are no double periods at Hazlehead Academy (apart from S5 and S6)
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