FOR Morrison’s Academy in Highland Perthshire, the new year is already proving to be a busy one as pupils return to the classroom, extra-curricular activities and make plans for the year ahead.
Established in 1860 and founded by philanthropist Thomas Morrison, the school’s emphasis on family life, community and developing lifelong attributes creates an environment that nurtures and encourages all pupils to be the very best they can be.
“Everything we do at Morrison’s – both inside the classroom and out – is designed to nurture pupils and equip them with the confidence, resilience and skills that enable them to flourish in their present and their future,” points out Andrew McGarva, the Rector. “We are known for our family focus and being in Crieff, a rural town, means that we are at the heart of the community.
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“We are blessed with an amazing location, surrounded by Munros, lochs and stunning landscapes, so the great outdoors naturally plays a key role too, whether that’s cycling, hill-walking, kayaking, mountaineering, skiing, team sports – there’s something for everyone to try.”
While steeped in tradition, Morrison’s Academy is innovative, ambitious and keen to push boundaries in education. In 2020, it become the first independent school in Scotland to hosts the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA), a flagship programme for schools and colleges across the UK.
Founded by Peter Jones of Dragons’ Den fame, the business-focused education programme has proved popular with pupils at Morrison’s. Pupil Hamish Hutchinson, founder of Hutchy Bikes Clothing, an ethical online business that specialises in mountain bike clothing, was a finalist in the programme’s National Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023.
“We’re immensely proud of Hamish and it’s exactly this type of entrepreneurial mindset and curiosity that we strive to develop here at Morrison’s,” says Mr McGarva. “As a school with between 500-600 pupils, we’re able to offer a very personalised approach to education and teachers work with pupils and parents to ensure our young people build confidence, resilience, empathy and the skills they need to integrate well with people from all walks of life and in different situations.
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“It’s also about creating well-rounded individuals who are compassionate and caring, people who appreciate the benefits to teamwork and collaboration and see that as character-building.”
Last year, Morrison’s Academy’s Senior pupils achieved “outstanding” results in the SQA examinations although Mr McGarva is quick to point out that exam results reflect just a small part of a pupil’s journey. “We will also focus on educational endeavour but it is also vitally important to highlight and celebrate the many personal successes along the way that help to build a pupil’s personal sense of pride, character and confidence.
“This could be in sport, music, drama, fundraising, volunteering within the local community – all of these things matter and will stay with our young people as they go out into the world. It’s about encouraging pupils to be the very best they can be, both inside the classroom and out.”
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Morrison’s, meanwhile, adopts a traditional Scottish curriculum with its “Golden Threads” subjects – art, music, sport, enterprise, outdoor adventure and activities, STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and Learning for Life – weaved throughout the school. Designed to encourage resilience, problem-solving, teamwork, perseverance, and creativity along with many other attributes. All pupils, from Nursery through to S6, enjoy these subjects.
The school’s innovative STEM Festival in partnership with charity SmartSTEMs, which strives to inspire the next generation about the STEM subjects through collaboration between industry and education, will return in 2024 while a new Women in Stem initiative will also start.
“We are very strong in STEM but we know there is still work to be done across the education spectrum to encourage more females to engage with these subjects.
“Our STEM work is developing really well and running through Nursery all the way up to Secondary,” says Mr McGarva.
The school’s Scottish Schools Mountain Bike Championship event with Comrie Croft MTB Centre and Scottish Cycling, held last autumn as a fully affiliated Scottish Cycling event and attracting over 300 competitors from 40 schools across Scotland, will return in 2024.
“This was the largest schools cycling event of the year and we were delighted to be named Event of the Year at the 2023 Scottish Cycling Awards last November,” he says. “In a year that saw Scotland host the UCI Cycling World Championships and cycling in general having such a high public profile, this was an amazing achievement for Morrison’s.”
Morrison’s is keen to meet parents who are considering sending their child to an independent school and Mr McGarva points out that people should not consider a school like Morrison’s as “for the elite and privileged”, stating: “We are growing our bursary fund and currently 12% or our pupils are funded through bursaries.
“Indeed, we are widening access to pupils at a time when budgets are pressed and we want to get the message across that education at an independent school is for everyone, and it’s that culture of inclusion and diversity that makes our school so special.
“We hold regular Open Days but tours are available out with those times so please get in touch to book a tour and visit us during the school day – you can explore our campus, meet our leadership team and teachers, visit our classrooms, STEM suite, all our fantastic facilities, and gain an insight into life at Morrison’s Academy.”
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