Stranraer Academy

Stranraer Academy
Established 1845
Type Secondary school
Headteacher Norman Dawson
Depute headteacher Graham Benson
Helen Marie Bradley
Andrew Law
Location McMaster's Road
Stranraer
Dumfries and Galloway
DG9 8BY
Scotland
Students 1098
Gender Co-educational
Ages 11–18
Colours Blue, white, black (Senior School)               
School years S1 - S6
Feeder schools Belmont, Castle Kennedy, Drochduil, Drummore, Glenluce, Kirkcolm, Leswalt, Park, Portpatrick, Rephad, St. Joseph’s, Sandhead, Sheuchan
Website Stranraeracademy.co.uk

Stranraer Academy is a secondary school in Stranraer in south west Scotland. It serves the area of Stranraer, the Rhins, and parts of the Machars.

The original Stranraer Academy was opened in 1845 on the site of the present Stranraer Campus of Dumfries & Galloway College. In 1965 a new Academy (B Block) was built alongside a new High School (A Block) and in 1970 the schools joined together.

Recent history

The Academy is a six-year comprehensive school, with a school roll above 1000, and is the second-most attended secondary school in Dumfries and Galloway. Nearly 100 full- and part-time teachers work at the academy, and are aided by a team of support staff.

In May 2006 the school's rector announced his retirement, following an unfavourable HMIe report in January 2006, and left the following August. Following his retirement, Joanna Pallet became Acting Head Teacher for a period, until a replacement (Norman Dawson) could be found.

The school received a follow-up report from HMIe January 2008. The inspectorate stated that there have been "significant improvements", particularly in terms of the overall quality of learning and teaching and that there had also been some improvements in pupils’ attainment, relative to schools with similar characteristics. They also stated that more now remained to be done to rebuild the school’s reputation in the community, improve attainment levels, address staffing difficulties and deal with outstanding health and safety issues.

Buildings

Part of the Academy's Phase 1 Project.

Up to the mid-1990s the school consisted of three buildings built in the 1960s and 70s. At this time Dumfries & Galloway Council drew up plans to rebuild the entire school by 2000. Phase 1 was opened in 1997. In February 2000 A Block was vacated and classes moved into newly refurbished areas in B and C Block, creating a more compact campus. Due to funding problems (particular with [PPP] projects) Phase 2 was continually delayed by the council, along with the demolition of 'A' Block, which lay empty and derelict for five years. After campaigning by the local newspaper, school, school board, and student council, demolition work on 'A' Block finally begun in 2005, being completed in January 2006.

As part of Dumfries and Galloway's £100 million public private partnership (PPP) project to build nine new schools within Dumfries and Galloway (e4d&g), the new school was completed in early 2010.

Delays in completion of Phase 2 of the Academy has led to a deterioration in the building quality of the 1997 New Building, and thus as part of the e4d&g project this building is to be fully refurbished.

Notable former pupils

References

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