Inverurie Academy

History

Built in the Victorian period, the school was originally split into both a secondary school and a primary, although after Market Place the need for a primary decreased and the building was merged in 1909, keeping primary pupils until the statutory leaving age of 14, the other taking the pupils who had passed their qualifying exam on to higher education. This was the founding of the building known as Inverurie Academy. Since then, new parts of the school have been added, the most recent in the mid-1980s prior to the demolition.

The buildings remained that way until they were joined in the 1950s, and amalgamated in the 1960s with the building of the new assembly hall. The final stage of building was constructed in the 1980s.

Construction began for a new building including a £55 million new community campus set to include new car and bus parking, a 3G pitch, expanded facilities, and accommodation for up to 1,600 pupils in 2018.

The academy, as well as the community swimming pool, St. Andrews Special School, and the Garioch Community Centre, transitioned to the newly built Inverurie Community Campus in the 2020 school year. In 2022, the original Academy was demolished following delays due to the discovery of Asbestos within the school building.

COVID-19

Inverurie Academy was praised for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an inspector stating the academy was "very well placed to continue its improvement journey" During the pandemic, National 5 exams were cancelled across Scotland, including Inverurie, being replaced with online coursework's and assessments.

Notable former pupils

• Andrew Bowie (born 1987), Member of Parliament for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine since 2017
• Stuart Corsar (born 1984), former rugby union player
• Gareth Dennis (born 1991), rail engineer and writer
• Lewis Macdonald (born 1957), politician
• Helen Rushall (1914–1984), schoolteacher and feminist
• Ethel Simpson (1926–2017), journalist
• Callum Smith (born 1992), former cross-country skier
• Sarah Smith, Member of Parliament for Hyndburn since 2024

References

References

1. (23 May 2024). "Scottish Secondary School League Tables".
2. "Inverurie Academy".
3. (2024-04-07). "Full 2024 Scottish high school league table - see how your school fared".
4. "Inverurie Academy".
5. "School History & Crest".
6. "Completed Project - Inverurie Community Campus".
7. "Inverurie Community Campus - Aberdeenshire Council".
8. Britton, Ruaraidh. (2022-01-26). "Former Inverurie Academy building demolished after 113 years".
9. (2022-01-19). "Inspector praises Inverurie Academy for progress made during the pandemic".
10. (2020-10-07). "Scottish National 5 exams to be cancelled in 2021". BBC News.