Grangemouth middle schools
Encyclopedia
Two middle school
s operated in the town of Grangemouth
between 1974 and 1988. Grangemouth is in the historic county
of Stirlingshire
in central Scotland
and, following local government reorganisation in 1975, became part of the Falkirk District of the Central Region
.
The Grangemouth middle schools were the only two such schools in the whole of Scotland. Grangemouth remains the only area of Scotland where experimentation in three-tier education
was ever tried.
to indicate how they intended to go about re-structuring their secondary education systems along comprehensive lines
Stirlingshire Education Authority undertook discussion with the Scottish Education Department to remove various legal obstacles to the setting up of the schools. It was not until August 1975 that the scheme was fully realised.
. Similarly, other legislation related to these definitions which were to be altered by Stirlingshire's experimental plans.
.
An initial agreement was made in 1974 to make a specific modification to The Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 which allowed teachers with primary certification to "assist in leisure activities, hobbies and extra-curricular activities" with pupils, under the supervision of a holder of a secondary teaching qualification. Whilst this did not allow teachers freedom to teach across the age range, it did allow some integration to begin.
From this stage, there were 6 primary schools offering education for pupils up to age 10 (that is, classes P1 to P5):
The two middle schools catered for pupils aged between 10 and 14, taking what had previously been the final two years in the primary school (P6 & P7, pupils aged 10-12) and the first two of secondary education (S1 and S2, aged 12-14). Classes in these schools were re-named M1 to M4:
Because of the failure of the authority to provide a new middle school at Bowcross, Moray had over 1100 pupils on roll in 1975 (well in excess of its intended capacity).
Following this, pupils were to attend high school for secondary years S3 to S6 (aged 14-18):
Proposals were put forward in January 1987 to see the middle schools closing at the end of the 1987-88 academic year. Council data showed that by this stage it was expected that there would be only 764 pupils between the two middle Schools leaving spare capacity at over 40%. A similar issue was presenting itself at Grangemouth High School.
The proposals were accepted. In July 1988, Moray and Abbotsgrange Middle schools closed, ending the three-tier experiment in Scotland. Dundas and Grange Primary Schools were closed, and Moray re-opened as a through primary school for pupils in P1 to P7.
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s operated in the town of Grangemouth
Grangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...
between 1974 and 1988. Grangemouth is in the historic county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
in central Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and, following local government reorganisation in 1975, became part of the Falkirk District of the Central Region
Central Region, Scotland
Central Region was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the council areas of Falkirk, Stirling, and Clackmannanshire, which had previously been districts within Central...
.
The Grangemouth middle schools were the only two such schools in the whole of Scotland. Grangemouth remains the only area of Scotland where experimentation in three-tier education
Three-tier education
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
was ever tried.
Origins
The first mooting of the possibility of three-tier education in Grangemouth came shortly after the publication of a Scottish Education Department circular in 1965 which invited local authoritiesLocal Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
to indicate how they intended to go about re-structuring their secondary education systems along comprehensive lines
Stirlingshire Education Authority undertook discussion with the Scottish Education Department to remove various legal obstacles to the setting up of the schools. It was not until August 1975 that the scheme was fully realised.
Legal obstacles
In common with England and Wales until 1964, there was no provision in education legislation for education provision to be made through anything other than a primary or a secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
. Similarly, other legislation related to these definitions which were to be altered by Stirlingshire's experimental plans.
School status
While in England and Wales, the government sought to classify all Middle schools as either primary or secondary, depending on their age ranges, in Scotland, the Education (Scotland) Act 1969 sought to remove the classification barrier by using the generic term "school education" for the full age range of compulsory educationCompulsory education
Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all persons.-Antiquity to Medieval Era:Although Plato's The Republic is credited with having popularized the concept of compulsory education in Western intellectual thought, every parent in Judea since Moses's Covenant with...
.
Teacher qualifications
Scotland's educational legislation required that all teachers employed to teach secondary-aged pupils must be holders of the Teachers' Certificate for Secondary Education. If middle schools were to act as a bridge between the two sectors then it would be necessary to recruit primary school teachers to teach across the four year-groups of the proposed schools.An initial agreement was made in 1974 to make a specific modification to The Schools (Scotland) Code 1956 which allowed teachers with primary certification to "assist in leisure activities, hobbies and extra-curricular activities" with pupils, under the supervision of a holder of a secondary teaching qualification. Whilst this did not allow teachers freedom to teach across the age range, it did allow some integration to begin.
Funding
Since primary and secondary schools were funded differently, it was agreed that the new middle schools would be funded as though all pupils were of secondary age. In addition, those teachers with primary qualifications were to be paid a supplement to match the higher rate earned by those working in secondary schools.Operation
The initial proposals for Grangemouth were developed at a time of rapidly expanding pupil numbers. The intention was to include a newly-built middle school to share a campus with Bowhouse Primary School, but this never came to fruition. As such, when the schools were first in full operation in 1975-6, there were only two middle schools, catering for over 1700 pupils.From this stage, there were 6 primary schools offering education for pupils up to age 10 (that is, classes P1 to P5):
- Abbots Road Primary School
- Beancross Primary School
- Bowhouse Primary School
- Dundas Primary School
- Grange Primary School
- Zetland Primary School
The two middle schools catered for pupils aged between 10 and 14, taking what had previously been the final two years in the primary school (P6 & P7, pupils aged 10-12) and the first two of secondary education (S1 and S2, aged 12-14). Classes in these schools were re-named M1 to M4:
- Abbotsgrange Middle School
- Moray Middle Schools
Because of the failure of the authority to provide a new middle school at Bowcross, Moray had over 1100 pupils on roll in 1975 (well in excess of its intended capacity).
Following this, pupils were to attend high school for secondary years S3 to S6 (aged 14-18):
- Grangemouth High School
End of the experiment
By the late 1980s, there were new concerns in Grangemouth. Following rapid expansion in earlier years, falling rolls in schools across the area put the middle school experiment at risk. Following consultation, rather than merge the two - now smaller - middle schools, the Central Regional Council opted to end the three-tier system in Grangemouth.Proposals were put forward in January 1987 to see the middle schools closing at the end of the 1987-88 academic year. Council data showed that by this stage it was expected that there would be only 764 pupils between the two middle Schools leaving spare capacity at over 40%. A similar issue was presenting itself at Grangemouth High School.
The proposals were accepted. In July 1988, Moray and Abbotsgrange Middle schools closed, ending the three-tier experiment in Scotland. Dundas and Grange Primary Schools were closed, and Moray re-opened as a through primary school for pupils in P1 to P7.