Head Teacher’s Report

On reading this, I felt a great sense of pride in our school, our teachers and our pupils. I inspect schools across the country and I very rarely write or read the term “outstanding teaching.”

I am very pleased that the inspectors made the link between all of the opportunities we provide and the role this plays in ensuring we remain as one of the highest attaining secondary schools in Scotland. Strong attainment does not just happen. It takes a lot of planning and hard work from everyone – our young people, ourselves as staff and you, as parents. This was noted as a key strength in the letter to parents, where inspectors noted “The high quality of attainment and achievement, which is supported well through an extensive range of learning opportunities. As a result, very high numbers of young people are developing the skills and attributes to succeed in life and work.”

We are a dedicated team and we have a strong work ethic. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our staff for supporting our young people so well.

I mentioned the France Water Sports trip earlier which was one of the trips on offer during Activities and Skills Week. There are too many to list but I will mention a few others to give you a sense of our constant wish to extend the opportunities we offer. Some of our S3 pupils benefited from an Outdoor Learning Experience, with one group at Fort William and another in the Lake District. The course was run by the Outward Bound Trust and our young people completed a leadership and team-building course. The centre was so impressed by our pupils that many of them have been invited back for a partially-funded summer programme.

You may have read in the local press about our Battlefields Trip to Belgium. Many of our young people were visibly moved when laying wreaths on the graves of former AGS pupils who served in the first World War and lost their lives.

As you know much learning takes place outwith the classroom in our extracurricular programme where all curricular areas contribute. We are known for a high level of performance and participation in performing arts and sports. We are now venturing into the world of golf. I will share with you a new project upon which we are working.

Recently, we received a substantial bequest from a Former Pupil, Luther Kitson Smith. Mr Smith set very specific terms in relation to the use of the funding. He asked that consideration be given to training and mentoring young people in golf. To begin with we thought it was going to be a struggle to fulfil the terms of the bequest. However, it is looking set to be a very positive initiative and we have an exciting new School of Golf project about to get underway. Working in partnership with the Paul Lawrie Foundation we are looking to identify young people in P7, S1 and S2 who would benefit from this opportunity.

They will receive coaching and the end goal is for them to play in the Luther and Muriel Smith competition.

There is much to look forward to in the new session. I would like to thank Former Pupil Brian Crookshanks for supporting the funding of a new science lab. Given our uptake in the sciences, we are converting a classroom into a lab over the summer holidays and Brian is supporting this work. In June 2020, we are scheduled to have some new pupil toilets, new swimming pool changing rooms and a new kitchen. As a school we are always looking to constantly evolve and improve with true excellence being our driver. Our School Improvement Plan for 2019/20 is ambitious, I will share a few key projects:

 We have developed a research toolkit for young people to use to support them in the completion of research and assignment tasks. This will be launched next session.  Similarly we have new guidance for parents on approaches to home learning with subject specific advice.  Young people will gain accreditation for their work in supporting the wider life of the school with leadership qualifications.  We are continuing to extend our curriculum and individual learner pathways and qualifications. We will be building in bespoke work experience for young people at a point which suits them in S4, S5 or S6.  We are also looking to work with parents on the important area of emotional wellbeing. We will be running an evening event for parents using an external provider. Pupils will also have inserts in the PSE programme.  Remembering the fun and skills aspect of learning, we will be developing further our Activities/Skills Week and consulting with our young people on the types of experiences they would like built into this.

I would like to touch on parental engagement and give my thanks. I have a supportive Parent Council chaired by Margaret Davidson and the support which parents give the school and their children is crucial. Our PTA continues to support our work with their fundraising activities.

As I have often said before, we will not settle for mediocrity - excellence is the only standard worth striving for and the only one in which we at Aberdeen Grammar School are interested.

Aberdeen Grammar School, June, 2019

Alison Murison

Head Teacher

School Office-Bearers - Session 2018-2019

Senior Prefects

CATHERINE DENISON LEWIS MacIVER DEIRDRE O’RIORDAN ANGUS HOGG JENNIFER HERRARA RORY FERGUSON

S6 Prefects: Martin Aasterud, Katie Affleck, Cassie Alexander, Anoop Babu, Andrew Barlow, Fiona Bender, Taylor Birrell, Elias Bokedal, Tyler Brand, Becky Carstens, Amy Cowan, Eilidh Crofton, Amy Cukrowski, Job Dersken, Matthew Duncan, Sarah Dunnett, Fiona Ewen, Lucas Findlay, Josh Fleming, Cara Gardiner, Ailsa Gault, Alessandra Gentilucci, Isabella Gimona, Lewis Hardy, Charlotte Hume, Catriona Imperiale, Praise Iriele, James Johnston, Alex King, Fraser Lambert, Rebecca Low, Stephanie Low, Annabel Lunney, Nicolas McCormack, Erin Macdonald, Jenna McDonald, Kirsty McKendrick, Zoe Maunder, Caitlin Melvin, Faraj Monnnapillai, Louise Morris, Struan Morrison, Lewa Olaosebikan, Karolina Omenzetter, Aidan O’Riordan, Matthew Oxley, Zuzanna Prusik, Lea Quantrell, Liza Salo, Reem Satar, Ben Schmitz, Theo Sharp, Sushrut Subedi, Megan Taylor, Catherine Watson, Kerris Wilson, Rebecca Wilson and Femi Yusuf.

S5 Prefects: Isobel Anderson, Aaron Babu, Shanon Boyle, Yusef Butt, Mairi Christie, Abigail Coles, Zalva Djayapertapa, Lya-Solange Doidge-Harrison, Maisy Fan, Quasim Farhan, Neal Fleming, Ahmed Husain, Alex Irvine, Hannah Jarret, Mook Jaruwattanapradid, Nicole Johnstone, Sanjana Joshi, Markus Kan, Ailsa Kennedy, Miko Kiestrzyn, Charlie MacDougall, Ben Manclark, Poppy Marlow, Anna McPhail, Hannah Menezes, Arthur Morgan, Calum Muldon, Eilidh Munro, Nafha Murssith, Madeline Oxley, Maria Pinheiro, Elizabeth Poobalan, Aadhya Regmi, Lauren Reid, Kate Renforth, Adam Robertson, Hanock Saji, Ayra Sherjil, Meg Stanger, Patrick Stenhouse, Georgia Tawse, Sandra Tijo, Fraser Wilson, Karolina Wroblewska, Heather Young.

School Prizes 2018-2019

The Joyce Tease Award for excellence in Modern Languages The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Modern Studies The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Physical Education The Hamish Adams Greig Prize in Biology The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Spanish The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Drama The Former Pupils’ Club Prize in Home Economics The Samuel Pope Prize & Donald Paton Prizes for Art & Design The John Muir Robertson Prize in Accounting & Finance The ALBA Trophy for Business Management The Gordon McMinn Prize in Computing Studies The Masson Bain Prize in English The William Brebner Prize in French The Charles Alexander Walker Prize in History The Campbell Connon Prize for Geography Peter Hamond Shannon Boyle Deirdre O’Riordan Matthew Elliot Gaia Alcaras Luke McKenzie Catriona Imperiale Struan Morrison Ben Schmitz Jordan Dutch Allan Player Finlay Waddell Hafren Vaughan Alyssa Hose Charlie MacDougall