Ayr Academy
 | |
| Motto | Respice Prospice |
|---|---|
| Established | c.1233 |
| Type | State coeducational secondary |
| Headteacher | Kate MacDonald |
| Deputy Headteacher | (As August 2013) Allison Neil, John Bradley & Nick Quinn |
| Location |
7 Fort Street Ayr South Ayrshire KA7 1HX Scotland |
| Staff | 87 (including support staff) |
| Students | 715 Officially |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Galloway, Kyle, Carrick and Cunningham. |
| Colours | Maroon, black, white |
| Associated Primary Schools | Annbank Primary School, Coylton Primary School, Dalmilling Primary School, Newton Primary School |
| Contact No | 01292 612028 |
| Website | Ayr Academy |
Ayr Academy is a non-denominational secondary school situated in the centre of Ayr in South Ayrshire. It is a comprehensive school for children from the ages of 11 to 18 from Ayr. Ayr Academy's catchment area covers Newton-on-Ayr, Whitletts and the outlying villages of Coylton, Annbank, and Mossblown. In 2007, the closure of Mainholm Academy resulted in the addition of approximately 100 additional pupils attending Ayr Academy. At present, just over 700 pupils attend the school.
The school is currently planning to find a new location for itself, with Craigie Park being the preferred location. After getting £3.25 million from the Government, they plan to sell the current Ayr Academy once the new building is complete.[1]
The school's motto is Respice, Prospice, which is Latin for "Look Backwards, Look Forwards" which would mean, idiomatically, "Learn from the past, look to the future.".
History
The school has existed, in various guises, since 1233[2] although it did not come to be known as Ayr Academy until 1796. It moved from the Sandgate to its present location on Fort Street in 1800, with a further extension to the building added in the early 1960s.
List of Rectors/Head Teachers
- Mr J.D Cairns - 1945-1965 Retired - Died 1984 *
- Mr N McCorindale - 1965-1970 - Left for Perth Academy Retired from Perth in 1986 - Died 2010*
- Mr W Reid - 1970-1982 - Retired - Died 2008*
- Mr B Ballantyne - 1982-1989 - Left for Kilwinning Aacdemy Retired from Kilwinning*
- Mr A Moir - 1989-1997 - Left for Belmont Academy . Retired From Belmont*
- Mr Dannington Maithison - 1997-2010 - Retired*
- Mrs K Mac Donald - 2010 -
*Former Depute Rectors/Depute Heads*
- Mr W.S. Kennedy Smith - 1965-1972* - Died 1994 Aged 86
- Mr T Henderson - 1972-1991 Retired - Died 2000* Aged 71
- Mrs L Dobbins - 1991-1997 left*
- Mr Colin Patterson - Later Left for Prestwick Academy as HT
Former Assistant Rectors/Assistant Heads post started 1971 ended 2003
- Mrs E Rennie - 1971-1985 - Died 2009*
- Mr E Burt - 1971 -1974 - Retired - Died 1985* - Aged 69
- Mr J Naismith - 1971-1974 - Left for Belmont Academy - Died 2005* - Aged 80
Later Assistant Heads
- Dr J Strawhorn - 1974-1982 - Died 1997* - Aged 75
- Mr N Francis - 1974-1991 - Retired*
- Mr D Walton - 1982-1999 Later Depute Head 1999-2005 - Retired*
Women Advisor - Miss McWilliams Retired in 1962, Died in 1976, Miss La'harvel 1962-1971 - later assistant head 1971 - 1979 - Retired 1991
School Secretary
- Miss E McGava - 1947-1985 - Retired*
Houses
The school uses a house system and is split into four houses House colours are stated in the brackets; Galloway (Red), Kyle (Green), and Carrick (Blue) and Cunningham (Yellow).
Notable former pupils
In alphabetical order
- Moira Anderson, soprano
- William Beardmore, 1st Baron Invernairn (1856–1936), industrialist
- Robert Burns, poet and Scotland's Bard
- Professor Sir Drummond Bone, Master of Balliol College, University of Oxford
- Sir David Campbell MC FRSE (1889-1978)
- Prof Edward Provan Cathcart, Fellow of the Royal Society (1877-1954)
- Mike Denness, England Cricket captain
- Karen Dunbar, comedian and entertainer
- John M. Farquhar (1832–1918), Member of the United States House of Representatives and recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor
- James Main Dixon (1856-1933), Former Professor at Tokyo University, Washington University, St. Louis and University of Southern California
- Professor Alan Gemmell OBE (1913-1986) former Professor of Biology at Keele University and broadcaster
- Marion Gray (1902-1979), mathematician and founder of the Gray graph
- William Hunter, Lord Hunter (1865–1957), advocate, Member of Parliament (MP) and judge[3]
- Fiona Hyslop, Scottish National Party Politician, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and Member of the Scottish Parliament
- Sir John Latta, 1st Baronet (1867–1946), shipping magnate
- Cecil Meares (1877-1937), dog handler on Captain Scott's Terra Nova Expedition, traveller, interpreter and soldier
- Sir David Murray, entrepreneur, businessman and former chairman of Rangers F.C.
- Ian McLauchlan, Scottish Rugby Union captain and British Lions player
- Tom Morris Jnr (1851–1875), four time Open Golf Championship winner
- Margaret Morton (1968- ), Olympic gold medallist (curling) Salt Lake City winter olympics (2002)
- William Ross, Baron Ross of Marnock, Secretary of State for Scotland 1964–1970 and 1974–1976
- Walter Perry, Baron Perry of Walton, Vice-Chancellor of the Open University
- Jackie Brambles, TV/radio presenter
- William John Macquorn Rankine (1820–1872), engineer and physicist, one of the founding fathers of the field of thermodynamics
- Alan Reid, Member of Parliament for Argyll and Bute
- Gordon Reid(1987- ), rugby player
- Ian Ure, Scotland national football team captain
- William Schaw Lindsay (1815–1877) shipowner, Liberal MP and writer on nautical matters[4]
References
- ↑ "Sites identified for new Ayr Academy". Ayrshire Post (Ayr). 4 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ↑ "South Ayrshire Council - Ayr History - education". South-ayrshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
- ↑ Hesilridge, Arthur G. M. (ed.). Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench. London: Dean & Son. p. 353. Retrieved 11 January 2011 – via archive.org.
- ↑ http://www.cnrs-scrn.org/northern_mariner/vol20/tnm_20_283-311.pdf
External links
- Margaret Morton.
- About Ayr
- Ayr Academy
- Ayr Academy's page on Scottish Schools Online
- South Ayrshire Council
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Coordinates: 55°27′53″N 4°38′03″W / 55.46472°N 4.63417°W