Nairn Academy is a secondary school in

Nairn Nairn (; ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland Council council areas of Scotland, area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness, at the point where the River Nair ...

, Scotland. The school currently has a roll of 651 pupils.

History

The school was founded in 1832. Until 1953, the school had been known as Rose's Academical Institution, in honour of an early benefactor, Captain James Rose, RN. From 1953 onwards it has been known as Nairn Academy and was formerly housed in what is now Rosebank Primary School. By 1969, the school had grown to outstrip its former site and a new building was planned and subsequently erected at the western end of the town. The new school was first occupied in January 1976, and was formally opened in June that year. In 2008, the school went under reconstruction for a new science facilities. There was also a large removal of asbestos from the building resulting in a closure of several weeks. The new science building offers students better access to studies and practical experimentation.

Recent years

An extension was opened in August 1993 which provides specialized accommodation. Included in the area are toilet facilities for pupils with physical handicaps, a physiotherapy suite and teaching areas for pupils with severe or profound learning difficulties. In October 2008 a new Support for Learning Base and Science Department was officially opened. Nairn Academy has 4 associated Primary Schools: * Auldearn Primary School * Cawdor Primary School * Millbank Primary School * Rosebank Primary School Throughout the six years, from Secondary 1 to 6, the years are split into registration classes and further, each registration class is halved to a point class. For example, 1Y would have 1.1 and 1.2; this is for the purpose of making practical classes more applicable. This is only in effect for the first two years of education, after which each student will choose their own subjects and will then have their classes allocated based on their course choices. From March 2020 to August 2020, Nairn Academy was closed due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. There are plans to rebuild the school.

Notable former pupils

Ann Coffey Margaret Ann Coffey (''née'' Brown; born 31 August 1946) is a British former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockport from 1992 to 2019. A former member of the Labour Party, she defected to form Change UK. Coffey resigned ...

( Labour MP) * James Alastair Taylor (Sheriff Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin) * Fraser Nelson (journalist, Editor of ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'') * James Augustus Grant (Scottish explorer, discovered the source of the Nile with

John Hanning Speke Captain John Hanning Speke (4 May 1827 – 15 September 1864) was an English explorer and army officer who made three exploratory expeditions to Africa. He is most associated with the search for the source of the Nile and was the first Eu ...

) * Nicholas Ralph (actor) * Fraser Noble

References

Educational institutions established in 1832 Nairn Secondary schools in Highland (council area) 1832 establishments in Scotland {{Scotland-school-stub