Stromness Primary School is a primary school in

Stromness, Orkney Stromness (, ; ) is the second-most populous town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the southwestern part of Mainland, Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the town of Stromness as its capital. Etymology The name "Stromness" ...

. The school has around 125 students.

History

On June 21, 1919, students from both the primary and higher schools were taken to witness the scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow. In 1996, a pupil had to commute to Stromness School by ferry after the school on

Graemsay Graemsay () is an island in the western approaches to Scapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. The island has two lighthouses. Graemsay lies within the parish of Stromness. Geography and geology Graemsay lies between Hoy and Stromne ...

, of which he was the only pupil, closed. The cost of keeping the school open had been £54,000 per year. In 2010, Big Brother winner

Cameron Stout Cameron Stout (born 8 March 1971) is a Scottish journalist and presenter for BBC Radio Orkney and the winner of '' Big Brother 2003''. He received 1.9 million votes, 500,000 more than runner-up Ray Shah. Cameron is the elder brother of televi ...

eschewed a media career to become a teacher at the school. On January 15, 2013, the school relocated to a new building. The new school was officially opened by

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

on July 4, 2013. A copper sculpture by Anne Bevan and funded by the

Orkney Islands Council The Orkney Islands Council, is the local authority for the Orkney Islands, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It was established in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and was largely unaffected by the Scottish local governme ...

was installed on the school grounds. The newly developed school won the 2014 Society for Construction and Architecture in Local Authorities "Civil Building of the Year" Award. The previous school building was subsequently taken over by

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

, refurbished, and renamed the Robert Rendall Building. On September 24, 2015, a report by the BBC highlighted that the roof of the new school building required re-slating after approximately 300 roof slates were blown off. However,

stated that the building had met UK building standards. In 2021, a Stromness Primary staff member, Karen Bevan, was named Scotland's top school chef, and also competed in the Lead Association for Caterers in Education School Chef of the Year finals. In 2024, the P1 class consisted of all boys and were shown on television and in multiple newspapers, including the Orcadian.

References

External links

* {{authority control Primary schools in Scotland Education in Orkney Stromness