Moray Firth School

Independent school in Scotland

Moray Firth School

Address

Petty East

Gollanfield

IV2 7QP

Scotland

Coordinates| 57°33′18″N 4°00′59″W﻿ / ﻿57.5551°N 4.0165°W﻿ / 57.5551; -4.0165
Information
Type| Independent
Motto| Finding a Way[1]
Established| September 2002
Founder| Anni Cole-Hamilton
Closed| September 2010
Local authority| Highland
Principal| Anni Cole-Hamilton
Gender| Co-educational
Age| 5 to 18
Moray Firth School

Moray Firth School was an independent school located at Gollanfield, between Inverness and Nairn, Scotland. It was open 2002–2010 and during that period was the only independent school in the Highland council area.

## Establishment

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Plans for the new school were published in January 1998.[2] The building was previously occupied by the Petty East School that was closed by Highland Council due to falling rolls.[3]

Moray Firth School was opened, in September 2002, by Anni Cole-Hamilton, who was also its principal.[4] When it opened it offered classes from primary one to secondary one, with the capacity to take 80 pupils.[5]

## The school

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The school had taught children aged 5 to 18 years.[6] It featured that each pupil had their own individual learning plan.[4]

At the time of closure it had pupils aged 5 to 14 with plans to add a sixth form, and was the only independent school in the Highlands.[7]

## Events

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The school, which had charitable status, was embroiled in a controversy in February 2008 when its website advertised a course on how to repair guns and maintain weapons. The advert was part of a package from Google.[3]

Richard Dawkins visited the school in April 2009 and was quizzed on his views on evolution.[8]

The Inverness-based Truly Terrible Orchestra was originally located at the school.[9]

## Proposed relocation and closure

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The Principal announced in February 2009 that she was seeking a greenfield site in Inverness to allow the school to continue with its expansion plan and to make the school more accessible to children.[10]

The school closed in September 2010 in preparation for a move to the Inverness Campus.[7] These plans were abandoned in February 2011 and at the time the school website stated that the school "remains in abeyance".[11]

## References

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1. ^ "Pupils forge new link along Moray Firth". The Press and Journal. Aberdeen. 23 June 2006. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
2. ^ "Plan for private school in Highlands". Glasgow Herald. Glasgow. 23 January 1998. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
3. ^ a b Wilson, D (16 February 2008). "School horror at guns site link". Highland News. Inverness. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
4. ^ a b Jardine, Cassandra (16 November 2002). "Is this Scotland's smallest school?". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
5. ^ "Countdown to new public school". The Scotsman. 4 January 2002. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
6. ^ "Moray Firth School". The Good Schools Guide. London. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
7. ^ a b Rutherford, Nichola (28 September 2010). "School suspends classes and seeks move". The Press and Journal. Aberdeen. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
8. ^ Morrison, Jennifer (30 April 2009). "Pupils Quiz Professor on Evolution". Inverness Courier. Inverness. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
9. ^ "Tackling Beethoven in terrible style — earplugs advised". Inverness Courier. Inverness. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
10. ^ "School steps up search for Inverness site". The Press and Journal. Aberdeen. 9 February 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
11. ^ "Moray Firth School". Inverness: Moray Firth School. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013.

## External links

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* Official website