| Perth Academy | |
|---|---|
| Academy in winter
Latin: Pro Rege Lege et Grege (For the King, the Law, and the People)
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| Location | |
| Murray Place Perth, PH1 1NJ, Scotland |
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| Information | |
| Founded | 1760 |
| Rector | Andrew Smith |
| Enrollment | Years 1 to 6 |
| Pupils | 1005 (as of September census) |
| Colour(s) | Blue and White |
| Website | http://www.perthacademy.net/ |
Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in the Scottish city of Perth. It was founded in 1760.[1] The standard week at Perth Academy for students is Monday to Friday from 8.55am to 3.30pm, although this may differ for students taking part in any extra curricula activities. The institution is classed as a non dominational one as it is not restricted to a certain religion. The school occupies an extensive area of ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the Perth and Kinross Council area.
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While able to claim a strong connection to the Perth Grammar School founded in the twelfth century, the name Perth Academy does not appear until 1760 when it was founded by the town council, still making Perth Academy is one of the oldest schools in Scotland.[2] The first Rector of the school was the Honourable John Murray (later Duke of Atholl) and at this time it was considered a purely honourable title, before later being given to the head teacher of the school. It was not until April 1762 that accommodation was first provided for the school, in the form of a two-storey building which occupied the present 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 early 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 Richard 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.[3] 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 on Rose Terrace, near the North Inch of Perth.
This arrangement was continued until 1873, when under the terms of the 1872 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. However, the teachers were still paid separately and collected their share of the tuition fees directly from the students in their classes. It was not until 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.[4]
The school moved to its present site at Viewlands in 1932, construction on the building having begun in 1930.
Up to 1971 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 500 square miles and including Dunkeld, Kinross, Errol, and Methven. In 1971, however, 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.[5]
Perth Academy is situated in the middle of extensive grounds, stretching to some 11.93Ha, a large part of which comprises of 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.[6] 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 of 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 Geography to school children.[7]
The school serves a large, mostly rural, catchment area, split into three distinct areas:[8]
Perth Academy was awarded the silver award in January 2006 for its participation in activites 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.[9]
The school is built on extensive ground, with large playing fields also housed on the site. These playing fields provide an area for the pupils to play at break times, and for their sports classes. As a school Perth Academy competes in many sporting events at an amateur level. The school regularly fields teams for, and hosts, events including hockey and rugby,[10] as well as competing in athletics at county sport level.[11] 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.[12]
In their First and Second years at Perth Academy pupils are taught a curriculum encompassing a range of subjects before becoming more specific in the Third year and above. The school offers a large variety of courses to students in these later years and higher as set out and assessed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Core classes, including Physical Education, Religious Education, and Social Education, are taken by all pupils up to their Fourth year. As well as the large selection of subjects taught within the school, Perth Academy also has established links with other education establishments in Peth including Perth High School and Perth College.[13] These links allow the school to indirectly offer courses outwith its usual capacity to teach. In recent years the school has raised its grades in Standard Grades, Highers and Advanced Highers and has cited been by Perth and Kinross Council as an example of rising exam performance.[14]