Stanley School : headmaster's reports 1971-73
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:19 pm
Here is the report of the headmaster, Mr John Reid, of Stanley School for the session 1970-71. It was the last session when Stanley had a secondary element, in this case hosting the whole comprehensive first year of Ardrossan Academy, but he was mainly looking ahead to when the school would become primary-only next session.
REORGANISATION NEXT SESSION
It is expected that there will be 25 primary classes in Stanley School, Ardrossan, at the start of the next session. The primary roll when the school opened in 1963 was 338; it is now 822 and the headmaster, Mr John Reid, estimates that it will reach 900 eventually.
These figures were given by Mr Reid when he presented his annual report on Monday at the end-of-session ' open afternoon ' . A large number of parents visited the school and after hearing Mr Reid's report they visited classrooms where a widely varied display of pupils' work was on view.
After describing ' a rather unusual session ' during which, as an interim measure, the whole of the first year of Ardrossan Academy was accommodated at Stanley, and paying tribute to the excellent cooperation enjoyed with the Academy staff, Mr Reid said that next session would see considerable reorganisation in the school.
" Staffing in our Ayrshire schools ", he said, " is now being calculated in a new manner, based on school rolls. We have benefited from this to the extent of several additional teachers, and we are therefore in the very fortunate position of having both the staff and the accommodation required to embark on a programme of reorganisation, to reduce class sizes considerably.
" This will not be achieved without some additional difficulties, and the splitting of two classes of 45 into three of 30 may well mean the separation of Damon and Pythias, not to mention Darby and Joan, after years together in the same class. This will have to be accepted as regrettable but unavoidable.
" At the same time the opportunity will be taken to deal with the problem of the transitional class in a new way. Pupils enrolling in February have in the past completed their full seven years of primary education in February,and have gone into a transitional ( formerly preparatory ) class until commencing secondary education in September.
" This class has always presented a problem in staffing and in curriculum content. It is now our intention, after an interim year in which this extra five months will be fitted in at various stages, to introduce the system whereby the transitional class will be at the end of the infant, instead of at the end of the primary, department.This arrangement, we believe, will have definite educational advantages.
" Staffing prospects are much better than they have been for many years, " said Mr Reid, " But in one respect we have been unfortunate this session, viz, in the provision of specialist teachers of art and music. The lack of a music teacher for great part of the session has deprived us of a primary choir this year, and I much regret that a musical programme by such a choir is not on our programme this afternoon.We can only hope that this will be rectified next year. "
Mr Reid commented on staff changes and school activities, and thanked the staff for their work during the year.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 2nd July 1971
Susan
REORGANISATION NEXT SESSION
It is expected that there will be 25 primary classes in Stanley School, Ardrossan, at the start of the next session. The primary roll when the school opened in 1963 was 338; it is now 822 and the headmaster, Mr John Reid, estimates that it will reach 900 eventually.
These figures were given by Mr Reid when he presented his annual report on Monday at the end-of-session ' open afternoon ' . A large number of parents visited the school and after hearing Mr Reid's report they visited classrooms where a widely varied display of pupils' work was on view.
After describing ' a rather unusual session ' during which, as an interim measure, the whole of the first year of Ardrossan Academy was accommodated at Stanley, and paying tribute to the excellent cooperation enjoyed with the Academy staff, Mr Reid said that next session would see considerable reorganisation in the school.
" Staffing in our Ayrshire schools ", he said, " is now being calculated in a new manner, based on school rolls. We have benefited from this to the extent of several additional teachers, and we are therefore in the very fortunate position of having both the staff and the accommodation required to embark on a programme of reorganisation, to reduce class sizes considerably.
" This will not be achieved without some additional difficulties, and the splitting of two classes of 45 into three of 30 may well mean the separation of Damon and Pythias, not to mention Darby and Joan, after years together in the same class. This will have to be accepted as regrettable but unavoidable.
" At the same time the opportunity will be taken to deal with the problem of the transitional class in a new way. Pupils enrolling in February have in the past completed their full seven years of primary education in February,and have gone into a transitional ( formerly preparatory ) class until commencing secondary education in September.
" This class has always presented a problem in staffing and in curriculum content. It is now our intention, after an interim year in which this extra five months will be fitted in at various stages, to introduce the system whereby the transitional class will be at the end of the infant, instead of at the end of the primary, department.This arrangement, we believe, will have definite educational advantages.
" Staffing prospects are much better than they have been for many years, " said Mr Reid, " But in one respect we have been unfortunate this session, viz, in the provision of specialist teachers of art and music. The lack of a music teacher for great part of the session has deprived us of a primary choir this year, and I much regret that a musical programme by such a choir is not on our programme this afternoon.We can only hope that this will be rectified next year. "
Mr Reid commented on staff changes and school activities, and thanked the staff for their work during the year.
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 2nd July 1971
Susan