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Inverness Royal Academy of Olde


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5 minutes ago, dougiedanger said:

Which is the best school in town now, academically?

Since I'm now away from the job for more than 2 and a half years, I'm maybe not the best person to ask. In terms of results, over the last 20-30 years, Millburn has tended MOST of the time to get the biggest percentages and the High School the smallest, with Culloden, Charleston and the Royal Academy somewhere in the middle. However, as I said earlier, catchment area factors have tended to inflate the Millburn results and depress those at the High School so there's probably a lot less in it that at first sight. Indeed there have been years when I've looked at Millburn's statistics and wondered if, in view of the affluence and catchment advantages they have, and all that tutoring, these should in fact be a lot better. I have also probably heard more moans and complaints from Millburn parents than from anywhere else, but on the other hand this is just the kind of thing you might expect to be concocted by covens of ladies who have nothing else to do in life but to lunch. It's also a bad idea to judge any school as a single entity since some departments perform better than others and more or less every school will have one department at least which is giving senior management some concern. Then of course you can get some idiot of an inspector who comes into a school and creates a fuss because the school is not subscribing to the latest flavour of the month p!sh which is being peddled but in fact is probably doing a very good job.

So there's no short answer to your question, although I think the picture in Inverness as a whole is not too bad at all.

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Here are the latest figures for Highland Region secondary schools. For what they're worth...!
'Roll' is from 2014 (taken from Highland Council's website)
% is from the March 2015 School Tables (widely available online - I used http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/how-well-your-kids-school-5407127 ) and is the
percentage of pupils achieving 3 or 4 Highers in the (I assume) 2014 exams. Not included are smaller schools who presented fewer than 5 pupils - like Farr and Kinlochbervie.

2014.jpg.0efe2fbd077445738b320d60c9ea3b4

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4 minutes ago, dougiedanger said:

The High School anchored at the bottom there. I wonder how those figures would compare to 30-35 years ago? 

Talking of which, I was surprised to discover that Inverness High School has significantly fewer pupils on its roll than the other Inverness schools.
Another observation - Fortrose Academy is consistently high in the ratings; and reasons for that are the demographics outlined above by CB.
Although I agree (with the relationship between catchment-area and affluence), there are always exceptions; not everybody that attends Millburn is from a middle-class background.

 

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2 hours ago, Sneckboy said:

Talking of which, I was surprised to discover that Inverness High School has significantly fewer pupils on its roll than the other Inverness schools.
Another observation - Fortrose Academy is consistently high in the ratings; and reasons for that are the demographics outlined above by CB.
Although I agree (with the relationship between catchment-area and affluence), there are always exceptions; not everybody that attends Millburn is from a middle-class background.

 

Regarding the IHS roll, that's low due to a combination of the population of the catchment area and a lot of parents exercising choice and sending their kids to Charleston or Millburn. And yes, Fortrose is consistently high in the ratings. Apart from whatever is happening within the school, the demographics are indeed a major factor, with a large middle class enclaves in the likes of North Kessock and Fortrose itself (although they do also have the Avochies and the Croms:lol:) You also tend to find that rural secondaries get fairly good stats although with small schools, small sample sizes often give unreliable and hugely variable outcomes. However I think Fortrose Academy is big enough to avoid that. It is also true that not everybody that attends Millburn is from a middle class background and over the years they have had not a few Army kids who can be notoriously problematic. However the Millburn catchment area does have a rather bigger middle class presence than any of the others so when you add in "free transfers" from other catchment areas and tutoring, there is a big advantage there. Indeed I remember some years ago, someone in the Royal Academy staffroom commented that Millburn's results appeared to be better than ours, to which a member of senior management retorted "What do you expect? I think we've done pretty well considering we've got bloody Hilton!"

In response to Dougie's query, the High School's fate was sealed when Inverness's five catchment areas were fixed in the late 70s and parental choice of school was introduced in the early 80s. As a result, 30-35 years ago roughly corresponds to the early days of that current arrangement and hence the early days of the High School's demographic challenges. There would have been a few years in the mid 70s, pre-Charleston, when the High School was taking everyone from West Inverness/ Beauly/ Kiltarlity and parental choice didn't exist and the IHS would have done OK. Before 1971, it was the old selective arrangement when the "Tecky" took the middle ability slice for the entire area and the lower achiever from the West.

Perhaps it's worth adding that over the last 40-50 years the demographic factor has polarised considerably with many of the middle classes moving out of council estates like Dalneigh and Hilton and into newly created private developments like Lochardil and Drakies. When I was a kid in the 60s, within a couple of hundred yards of my house we were mob handed with teachers including a head teacher, quite senior civil servants, senior firemen, managers and other professionals. By the same token, Dalneigh FPs figured pretty prominently when relatively large numbers of them went to the selective Royal Academy and the same could be said of Merkinch. Intervening demographic changes have correspondingly altered that situation.

Edited by Charles Bannerman
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On 04/01/2016 at 5:35 PM, dougiedanger said:

I am familiar with his work. :smile:

Similar eccentricities, including lining up outside the room for the whole class, being belted for chewing pencils, swinging on chair and other heinous crimes. This only after you had made a "deal" with him to outline the future punishment should you. Would belt you then seem remorseful.

His lunchtime routine was much as you describe. Actually had a cohort of favourite pupils, older ones, who would hang out with him.

Actually felt sorry for him, and think he is still on the go.

 

 

 

 

One of Mr McLean’s extra-curricular activities was to train the shinty team.  He and staff involved in transporting the team to away fixtures in their private cars e.g. Mr Stewart and Mrs Murray became slightly more amenable to the shinty lads.   Here he is with one of his teams.

 Also of note in this line up is Kenneth Thomson,  a current ICT director (back row 5th from left).  He is a past President of the Camanachd Association and the little chap to his left in the picture is Jim Barr, the current President.

569274e059bbc_IRAShintyTeam.thumb.JPG.13

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1 hour ago, jaggybonnet said:

One of Mr McLean’s extra-curricular activities was to train the shinty team.  He and staff involved in transporting the team to away fixtures in their private cars e.g. Mr Stewart and Mrs Murray became slightly more amenable to the shinty lads.   Here he is with one of his teams.

 Also of note in this line up is Kenneth Thomson,  a current ICT director (back row 5th from left).  He is a past President of the Camanachd Association and the little chap to his left in the picture is Jim Barr, the current President.

569274e059bbc_IRAShintyTeam.thumb.JPG.13

That photo will have been taken round about 1970. I think second from the right, front, is Highland News columnist Colin Campbell who I seem to recollect is from somewhere Beauly way. It's quite remarkable that two future Presidents of the Camanachd Association are here in the same team and just a couple of years earlier another, Archie Robertson, played for the Royal Academy where a fourth future President - John Willie Campbell - taught Physics at the same time. I was at Kenny's wedding in the Drumossie a few years ago and, including himself, there were I think FIVE Camanachd presidents!

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23 hours ago, dougiedanger said:

Good analysis, though I also would say that compared to 30 years ago a far higher percentage of pupils do 'stay on' after 4th year to do Highers and that the IHS figures  might even be higher than they were back then.

That is generally true because over the period in question, a lot more people just stay on and, in the case of Highers, I will not pull my punches and will say that more are doing these simply because, along with other qualifications, they are getting progressively easier. I have seen far too much pass in front of my eyes in recent years to be remotely persuaded otherwise - unless, of course, in the last days of my career, I and many of my colleagues suddenly became much better teachers.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎23‎/‎01‎/‎2016 at 0:57 PM, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

caddy.jpg

That's a great aerial perspective since from ground level you don't realise there are so many sloping roofs. The photo would have been taken roughly between 1961 and 1973 since the flat roofed structure and huts are there but there's no sign yet of the classroom block constructed in the car park to accommodate increased numbers of riffraff from Millburn.:lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another James Nairn production from the National Library of Scotland moving image archive:

Royal Academy Sports - 1952

http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/0626

All the action I believe is on the site of Millburn Academy where the Royal Academy playing grounds were located.

Not an area or era of mine but I do recognise what appears to be the old Millburn distillery and Cameron Barracks in the background.

Edited by Tichy_Blacks_Back
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3 hours ago, Tichy_Blacks_Back said:

Another James Nairn production from the National Library of Scotland moving image archive:

Royal Academy Sports - 1952

http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/0626

All the action I believe is on the site of Millburn Academy where the Royal Academy playing grounds were located.

Not an area or era of mine but I do recognise what appears to be the old Millburn distillery and Cameron Barracks in the background.

Yes you are dead right TBB. It's where the new "Mullburrm" now is and in the old days was the playing field for both schools. In the film there are several teachers who were still there when I began 13 years later. Yet another Jimmy Nairn production is a film of the Inter School Sports at the Bught around the same time.

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Another good nostalgic film.   It is before my time at the Academy so I didn't recognise any of the pupils.  But quite a few teachers (and the headmaster) feature.  Don't remember seeing David Thom in a kilt before.  I always got on well with him, as he was the cricket master (as well as Latin) throughout my six years.

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1 hour ago, Caley Mad In Berks said:

Another good nostalgic film.   It is before my time at the Academy so I didn't recognise any of the pupils.  But quite a few teachers (and the headmaster) feature.  Don't remember seeing David Thom in a kilt before.  I always got on well with him, as he was the cricket master (as well as Latin) throughout my six years.

David Thom arrived in the school in the year of that film - 1952 - as Head of Classics and in addition became Depute Rector (or Second Master as they called it in these days) in 1962. He held both posts until his death in service in 1970. His kilt was his standard dress for the school sports and the various other athletics meetings about the North where he was also the official starter. I believe he used his former WW2 pistol which would be inconceivable these days. He certainly used to get pretty ratty at anybody who did a false start. I always had mixed feelings about him. In some ways you respected him and for the brief time that he taught me Latin I quite liked being in his class and he was quite entertaining into the bargain. But on the other hand there was something of an unpleasant and intimidating edge about him as well and he made an art form out of making you feel small and inferior if he had it in for you. As Depute, he was the first port of call for prefects with anyone in tow that they had apprehended at the Smokers' Union. The belt was the inevitable sanction.

As CMIB also says, the Rector - D.J. MacDonald - is also in the film and of course Bill Murray who had recently arrived as Head of PE and completely revolutionised a department which had been in a complete mess.

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  • 1 month later...

Charlie

Yes I remember Mr Thom. I should , since he nearly took my hand off after belting me so hard that I was left wondering if their was a hand still on the end of the stump. He made sure he didn't miss either since he insisted that I double up my hands.

I mean, was tying my scarf to the desk and around my leg and fidgeting  and not paying attention is not a capital crime is it? The ignominy of not being able to get loose--  from my tireless efforts to do a good job on the scarf --was deflating enough after he called me out to get belted and the other pupils waited in awe and with bated breath watching Mr. Thom get somewhat irritated, probably thinking that I was just trying to delay the inevitable. :laugh:

A nasty type-? Dunno but I don't think so, it's just that Pimples have an endearing trait of pissing off teachers. --that was the second teacher that belted me for the exact same reasons. What was it with Academy teachers..eh? No understanding  with pupils who have attention- deficit -disorder. Maybe this is a case for IHE to adjudicate.:wave:

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7 hours ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

Carried the graffiti "Here lies Hector, belted by the Rector".

Room 36 or 37 ?? - next to the Rector's office.  Mr Dougherty - who drove a Borgward Isabella, IIRC - tried to teach me English there.  We had a mutual loathing, so fortunately it was for only one year.

Room 36. (37 was a hut.) But yes, next to the Rector's office. It used to be the school library before they built the early 60s extension which meant that the old assembly hall could become the library and the old library became Room 36. I think Hector Fraserius did live in 36 for quite some time although he may have spent time also in the "new" library. He is currently in the library in the Culduthel building so may well move on to the library in the new building when it pens later this year. I certainly remember Alan Dougherty, who taught in 36, having quite a flash car, registration number YEE 988.

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  • 3 weeks later...
23 hours ago, jaggybonnet said:

Mr Beattie still going strong

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36044583

Rhubarb and bananas! Wood doesn't grow on trees laddie! He is still to be seen in and around Morrisons most days. Retired round about 1985, having been the school's first, and, for a long time, only tecky teacher.

I see in that report that the leading light of the Men's Shed is Alan Michael who used to be a policeman but had to  retire after being badly beaten up, I think in Ardersier. He did a lot with Hospital Radio and also MFR. In fact he used to come into the press box with us in the early days and on one occasion announced live on MFR that the ICT striker's shot had been blocked by "the gentleman with the very good suntan"! Even then, that wasn't quite PC.

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