Kilmarnock Academy

Kilmarnock Academy is a comprehensive school situated in central Kilmarnock, Scotland, with the current building being erected in 1807. The school can be traced back to the 1630s when it was known as 'Kilmarnock Burgh School'.^[2] The school's operations are overseen by East Ayrshire Council.

The school, until June 2015, was headed by Bryan Paterson until he left to become Head Teacher in Edinburgh.^[3] Kilmarnock Academy will close in 2018 when it will merge with James Hamilton Academy, New Farm Primary and Early Childhood Centre, Silverwood Primary and 2-18 provision for Gaelic education in Kilmarnock.^[4] The current head teacher is David Rose who was appointed in June 2015 on an acting basis.^[5]

Admissions

Kilmarnock Academy is situated upon a hill in Elmbank Drive. Because of this, Kilmarnock Academy is a dominant building in the Kilmarnock skyline.

Until June 2015, the headteacher was Bryan Paterson, assisted by his Depute Headteachers G Kerr & E Walker.^[6] Paterson assumed the role of headteacher in August 2011 after the retiral of Carole Ford. The acting Head Teacher, David Rose (2015-present) has taken up post until the school closes in March 2018 to merge with 5 other learning facilities. This investment of £45.303m for the new Kilmarnock campus, has been named William McIlvanney Campus. Work on the new 'super school' started in March, 2016 and the building should be ready to open in March, 2018.

History and building complex

The school consists of four parts. The 'old building', a listed building in use since 1898 and part of the initial Kilmarnock Academy; the 'new building,' a larger building opened in 1967 and connected to the old building by a link corridor; the Technical Extension which opened in 1997 and is now where the schools computing and music departments are situated, and the P.E. building, where the Physical Education department is situated. This is also rented out to groups such as a Tae Kwon Do club and local football teams. Next to the school is the "Old Tech," formerly Kilmarnock Technical School, which opened in 1910 as part of the Academy. It is also listed, but is no longer part of the school; it was closed in 1997 due to a reduction in student numbers, caused by a restructuring of educational resources in the area. The building remained closed, and reopened in 2006 as luxury housing, due to its prime location directly next to the Dick Institute, the town's primary library and museum, and the centre of town.

It can trace its history back to the local burgh school founded in the 1630s and the first school to bear the name was established in 1807. In 1898 the school was moved to its current location and in the early 1900s the school acquired the Kilmarnock Technical School for its use. From 1945 it was a state co-educational grammar school. It became a comprehensive school in 1968 and fees were abolished for students attending Kilmarnock Academy in 1945 following World War II.^[7] For the first time since opening, Kilmarnock Academy appointed its first woman Head Teacher, Carole Ford, who served in the position from 1997-2011.^[7]

Rectors

The following list is of rectors of Kilmarnock Academy.^[8] In recent years, the term 'rector' has been phased out to introduce the title of 'Head Teacher'. Bryan Paterson was Head Teacher from August 2011 until June 2015, taking up the post of Head Teacher at Trinity Academy, Edinburgh.^[3] Carole Ford, head teacher from 1997-2011, was the first woman to serve the school as Head Teacher.^[7]

• William Thomson (1808-1830)
• Alexander Harkness (1830-1851)
• William Taylor (1851-1852)
• Alexander Smith (1852-1869)
• George Younger (1869-1873)
• George Smith (1873-1876)
• Hugh Dickie (1876-1904)
• David Murray (1904-1907)
• Dr James Clark (1907-1926)
• Alexander Cumming (1926-1938)
• Robert McIntyre (1938-1964)
• James Hislop OBE (1964-1977)
• Frank Donnelly (1977-1997)
• Carole Ford (1997-2011)
• Bryan Paterson (2011-2015)^[3]
• David Rose (2015–present)^[5]

Notable former pupils

Alexander Fleming, inventor of penecilin, attended Kilmarnock Academy

Kilmarnock Academy is one of the few schools in the world to have educated two Nobel laureates: Alexander Fleming and John Boyd Orr.^[9]

Notable alumni

• Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha, AOC since 2011 of No. 1 Group RAF, and Station Commander from 2006-08 of RAF Coningsby
• Craig Conway, Scotland international footballer
• Lindsay McKenzie, actress
• Robert Colquhoun, painter, printmaker and theatre set designer
• Major General Sir Robert Murdoch Smith, engineer, archaeologist and diplomat
• Lorraine Fullbrook (Campbell), Conservative Member of Parliament, South Ribble, Lancashire - Elected 2010^[10]

Grammar school

• Rev James Barr, Labour MP from 1935 to 1945 for Coatbridge, and from 1924 to 1931 for Motherwell
• Rev Prof Matthew Black, Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism from 1954 to 1978 at the University of St Andrews
• Robert Colquhoun, artist
• Stewart Conn, poet and playwright
• Sir David Cuthbertson, physician
• Robert Dunsmuir
• George Forrest, botanist and explorer
• Adam Ingram, SNP MSP since 2011 for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
• Jimmy Knapp, General Secretary from 1990 to 2001 of the RMT, and from 1983 to 1990 of the National Union of Railwaymen
• Sir James Learmonth CBE, pioneer in nerve surgery
• Margaret McDowall, swimmer
• William McIlvanney, author
• Charles McLelland, Director General from 1987 to 2004 of the Association of British Travel Agents, Controller of BBC Radio 2 from 1976 to 1980 (and of Radio 1 from 1976 to 1978), and Director of Programmes from 1980 to 1986 of BBC Radio
• Lt-Gen Robert Menzies CB OBE, Surgeon General to the Armed Forces from 2000 to 2002
• William Muir, orientalist
• Colin Rankin
• James Stevenson, 1st Baron Stevenson, businessman and politician
• Peter Sturrock, Conservative MP from 1885 to 1886 for Kilmarnock Burghs
• Murray Tosh MBE, Conservative MSP from 2003 to 2007 for the West of Scotland
• Hugh Watt (1848 - 1921) MP

Church of Scotland clergy

A number of alumni are Church of Scotland ministers who have held high office or are otherwise well-known church figures:

• Andrew McLellan CBE, Moderator of the General Assembly, 2000; (also HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, 2002 to 2009)^[11]
• John D. Miller, Moderator of the General Assembly, 2001^[11]
• Bill Hewitt, Moderator of the General Assembly, 2009^[11]
• John L. Bell, contemporary hymnwriter and speaker^[12]
• Lorna Hood (née Mitchell), Moderator of the General Assembly, 2013^[13]

References

External links

• Kilmarnock Academy's Website
• Kilmarnock Academy Masters and Former Pupils who died in World War 1 and 2.
• Kilmarnock Academy's page on Scottish Schools Online