10 November 2016

Midmill head teacher prepares for new school opening

The head teacher of a new primary school in Aberdeenshire has spoken of his excitement ahead of the building opening to pupils next week.

The new Midmill School in Kintore will open its doors on Wednesday, November 16 and the school’s recently-appointed head teacher, Scott Calder, has been hard at work making sure everything is ready for them.

Scott has thirteen years of experience in Aberdeenshire schools having worked in Banff Primary, Hill of Banchory School as Depute Head Teacher and Head Teacher at Chapel of Garioch School for the past three years.

Scott, who went to Forgue School near Huntly as a boy where he particularly enjoyed Maths, Geography, Drama and Chemistry, realised teaching was the career for him after hearing his cousin talk about her own teaching course.

He said: “The most rewarding thing about being a teacher is seeing the journey young people take on their lives throughout school.

“It’s always great to hear how well pupils are doing once they leave primary school and move on to secondary education.

“I’ve been very lucky with the opportunities I’ve had in my career. As Depute Head Teacher at Hill of Banchory I was able to support the staff team and Head Teacher to set up a brand new school and now I can take everything I’ve learned from that experience so that Midmill School can aim for excellence too.”

He also gave some encouraging words to pupils ahead of the school opening, saying: “To have a successful school career, pupils should try and take a positive approach to everything they do.

“We continually learn throughout our lives so it’s important to have an open mind, build relationships with the people around you and to keep on trying.”

Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Education, Learning and Leisure Committee, Cllr Alison Evison, said: “The new Midmill School is an £11.5 million investment by the council to make sure that the ever-increasing population of Kintore has access to state-of-the-art education facilities for their children.

“The new school has space for 540 pupils and will be occupied by both its own pupils and those who attend Kinellar Primary School while a brand-new replacement is built for them.

“This is an exciting time for both local communities and I’m sure Scott and the other school staff, as well as pupils and parents, are looking forward to seeing their new school as much as I am.”

The new Midmill School will open its doors to pupils living in its zone on Wednesday, November 16.

On Friday, November 18, pupils from Kinellar Primary School will join Midmill pupils at the new school while a replacement school of their own is built on the site of the current Kinellar Primary.