Portree High School


Portree High School is a state co-educational comprehensive school in Portree, Isle of Skye in Scotland., the school enrols 520 pupils and employs 55 teachers. The school's catchment area draws from 15 primary schools across Skye and neighbouring Raasay. The school also has a hostel with boarding provisions for a small number of pupils who live in more remote areas of the island. The school is represented by their mascot, the Big Ginge.

History

A school has existed at Portree since the 17th century. However it closed in 1825 due to the difficulty in finding a new qualified schoolmaster. Construction on the Portree High School buildings began in 1872. In 1905 it became a Higher Grade school. Margaret Carnegie Hostel for girls being opened in 1924, followed in 1933 by the Elgin Hostel for boys. Elgin Hostel is now a Category B listed building.
Until late 2008, the school consisted of three buildings - the main building, the Elgin Hostel and the Technical Block, along with about a dozen demountable classrooms. In 2008, this arrangement was replaced by a new building, constructed by Morrison Construction as part of a regional PPP scheme to build eleven schools in the Highlands. The demountable classrooms were then removed, and the main building and Technical Block demolished.

Curriculum

The school's curriculum includes provision for Gaelic medium education. In 2006, a Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education inspection resulted in a report that praised the "positive" relationship between pupils and staff, while criticising "limited" IT and "very poor" physical education provisions, and highlighting "significant risks to pupils' health and safety", thanks to poor traffic management outside the school, and a general lack of security. The building of the new school which opened in 2008 and the appointment of a new headteacher, Catherine MacDonald.

Notable alumni