Kilgraston Headteacher discusses mobile phone restrictions in press
Kilgraston Headteacher, Mrs Davie, has been talking to local newspaper, The Courier, about our long-standing mobile phone policy and the benefits it has had on pupils.
In the article, Mrs Davie reflects: “With a no mobile phone policy in school-time, we are really seeing the benefits of good old-fashioned human interaction. We are a close-knit school, with a strong community spirit and we have found that, for both staff and pupils alike, people are calmer and more confident with this increased human interaction.
“In the absence of phones, we must talk to each other.”
Kilgraston introduced the mobile phone restrictions in 2018 amid concerns that concentration and social skills were being negatively affected and of the ban, Mrs Davie said: “I am proud of the fact that Kilgraston was a trailblazer and carved out a robust policy on mobile phones in schools.
“We are passionate about educating our pupils and ensuring they get the best possible start in life, and to do this, they need to be focused and engaged.
You can read the full article here on the Courier website.
Kilgraston School appoints new Head teacher
Kilgraston School’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors are delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Tanya Davie as the School’s new Head teacher. Mrs Davie will be taking over from Mrs Dorothy MacGinty, who will be retiring at Easter 2022 after seven years in the role.
Mrs Davie is currently the Academic Deputy Head at St Bede’s College in Manchester an independent co-educational day school for 750 pupils aged between 3 and 18.
David Beal, Chairman of the Board of Governors, said: “Mrs Davie will be joining Kilgraston School at an exciting time where we have continuing high intake from both day and boarding pupils and a significant number of enquires for both our co-educational junior school and our all-girls senior school.” Mr Beal continued: “Mrs Davie was the stand-out candidate from an extremely rigorous selection process. Kilgraston’s Senior Leadership Team, Board of Governors and Trustees are all absolutely thrilled about the appointment and very much looking forward to her stepping into the role and carrying forward Mrs MacGinty’s excellent legacy.”
As part of the Senior Leadership Team at St Bede’s, Mrs Davie works closely with the School’s Head teacher and wider staff body to safeguard high-quality teaching and learning throughout the School. Formerly Head of Mathematics and Physical Education at St Bede’s, Mrs Davie has also previously held posts at all-girls schools, including St. Margaret’s School, Edinburgh, and North Manchester High School for Girls. She is also a former Head of Department at The Royal High School, Edinburgh.
Commenting on her appointment, Mrs Davie said: “What I hope to bring to Kilgraston is an energy and enthusiasm to carry on and develop the spirit and success of this incredible school. I am very excited at the prospect of leading the School into its next phase.”
Originally from County Clare, Ireland, Mrs Davie has a close affinity with Scotland, having previously spent eight years teaching in Edinburgh. Commenting on her return north of the border, she said:” I am very much looking forward to moving back to Scotland: it feels like we are moving home.”
During her career, Mrs Davie has had extensive experience of teaching in both the independent and state sectors: “While at The Royal High School in Edinburgh, I was seconded by Strathclyde University to form a team, tasked with the development and implementation of the first PGCE Physical Education course in Scotland.” In addition to this sabbatical, Mrs Davie worked closely with Manchester City Football Academy, heading-up the club’s education provision for their elite performers in the 11 to 16 years age range.
Mrs Davie will be moving to Perthshire together with her husband, Deno. The couple has a daughter in her second year at university in Scotland and a son in his final year of secondary education.
Passionate about providing opportunities for young people to become the best version of themselves, Mrs Davie intends to develop a programme of competence in 21st century skills (collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving) within Kilgraston, “empowering the women of the future workplace to develop an appetite for becoming solution-based innovators, thereby making a positive contribution to society.”
Mrs Davie will begin her new appointment from April 2022.
Mrs Tanya Davie, Head teacher of Kilgraston School from April 2022
Heads’ up – it’s time to put your back into learning at Kilgraston School
The full effect of pupils having been away from the classroom for months will take a long time to fully comprehend. However, at Kilgraston, one consequence has already been clearly identified.
“Since returning after the Easter holidays, several teachers began to notice a common theme of slouching,” said Head teacher, Dorothy MacGinty,
It soon became evident that months of home-schooling, crouching over a laptop, hadn’t done anything for pupil posture, with several commenting on sore backs and necks.
“Of course, because of social distancing, staff and dining room chat is severely curtailed,” continued the Head, “it took a few days before we realised that this was a common theme. Since restrictions were eased, there has, quite rightly, been a great deal of national discussion about lockdown lethargy, mental health issues, weight gain and children struggling with speech and language skills, however, none of us were prepared for, or expected, a bearing on personal carriage.”
To try and address the issue, pupils throughout the Kilgraston’s Junior and Senior Years are now being asked to carry-out shoulder-rolls and stretches before each class, with time spent in PE also concentrating on personal posture.
Year-group bubbles are encouraged to think about their stance and the body as a whole. “We’re not quite ‘Miss Jean Brodie’,” said Mrs MacGinty, “but we are asking them to sit-up a bit straighter for their own long-term benefit.”
Senior pupils at Kilgraston School taking part in a pre-English class stretch session
The Daily Mail newspaper also thought this was a good idea, reporting the story on Wednesday 5 May 2021
Deportment for education… school bids to stop slouching
- Scottish Daily Mail
- 5 May 2021
- By Kate Foster
IT is a lesson worthy of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – a ‘deportment’ class to correct slovenly posture.
Now, just like the girls in the classic book and film, pupils at a Scottish boarding school are being taught how to carry themselves, after teachers saw them ‘slouching’ at their desks following months of home schooling.
The posture classes are taking place at Kilgraston, an independent school near Perth where fees range from £11,550 for primary to £33,500 for senior school boarding.
Many pupils have been studying from home during lockdown and when the mostly girls’ school reopened for face-to-face learning two weeks ago, teachers saw youngsters slumping and complaining of aches and pains. Now they are being given daily exercises such as shoulder rolls and stretches before they start lessons, with PE classes concentrating on deportment.
The problem is thought to have been caused by pupils at home not looking up as often as they would do in the classroom – and teachers not being on hand to tell them to sit up straight.
Mrs MacGinty discusses Kilgraston’s Scholarships in national magazine
Headmistress discusses Kilgraston’s scholarships and how we are continuing this process even in a pandemic in national magazine, Independent School Parent.
Also in the article, Lower Fifth’s Charlotte discusses how an equestrian scholarship has benefited her riding skills.
You can read the article here.
Our Scholarship day is on 11 and 12 of February and you can find out more about how to apply here.
Scottish exams 2021 update - Mrs MacGinty on BBC Radio 4
Kilgraston’s Headmistress Mrs MacGinty discusses the Scottish exams 2021 update on national radio station, BBC Radio 4.
Education Secretary John Swinney’s announcement about the cancellation of Scottish Highers in 2021 provoked strong reaction from stakeholders throughout the country.
Following the decision, Kilgraston’s Head Teacher, Dorothy MacGinty, spoke about the situation on the BBCs flagship political show, Radio 4’s Today.
You can listen to Mrs MacGinty at 08:36am here.
Being interviewed by host Justin Webb, Mrs MacGinty appeared with Professor Lindsay Paterson FBA, Professor of Education Policy at the University of Edinburgh.
“I feel this decision should have been made months ago,” commented Mrs MacGinty, “Teachers must now administer and evaluate exams and produce estimates.”
Prof. Patterson agreed with Mrs MacGinty, adding: “There is no coherent reason for this series of decisions,” he continued, “schools are struggling to understand how this could happen, their (pupils’) learning has been turned upside down.”
Local radio station, Tay FM, also carried an interview with Mrs MacGinty and you can listen to Mrs MacGinty’s section at 07:50am here.
Magazine reports on Kilgraston’s latest British Horse Society success
Leading independent school sector magazine, Attain, has reported on Kilgraston’s recent British Horse Society (BHS) Stage 1 Complete Horsemanship success. It is the first pupil cohort to take part in this alternative pathway and the pupils will now move onto Stage 2.
Pupil Issy said: “It has been such a great privilege to study the BHS Stage I, learning how to properly manage horse care and be rewarded with a professionally recognised certificate which will help me on the first stage of my career with animals.”
Kilgraston is the only school in Scotland to offer the BHS qualifications and shows the tremendous variation on offer to our pupils to pursue their dreams.
You can read more about this success here.
Kilgraston’s Headmistress discusses exam changes in The Independent Schools Magazine
Recent exam changes is the subject Kilgraston’s Headmistress Mrs MacGinty writes about in the latest edition of The Independent Schools Magazine.
In her article, Mrs MacGinty writes, “Of course I, like every Head across the country, wish that we were not having to make adjustments that potentially threaten the stability of the teenagers’ lives for which we have responsibility, now and in the their future.
“But I don’t think it is an entirely negative situation.”
You can read Mrs MacGinty’s entire article in the magazine on page 4, here.
The magazine also features Upper Sixth’s Anna’s recent global poetry competition win for her work ‘Total’ (page 38) and the Junior School’s ‘decade of growth’ observations with the hedge planted in 2009 (on page 22).
Press coverage of i25 awards
Recently, Kilgraston made the finals of the prestigious i25 Awards, the only Scottish school to do so, a move honouring our environmental campaigns including our ‘Wear it again’ event.
The news was covered in the Catholic Universe, and you can read the story here.
Kilgraston Sixth Former writes in national magazine
Kilgraston Sixth Former, Anna, has written an article for a national magazine about embracing the return to school in September.
In the autumn edition of magazine, Independent School Parent, Anna discusses how she is relishing the human interaction of being back in school, and has got used to the ‘new normal’ of face masks and temperature checks.
The autumn term senior school special digital edition of Independent School Parent features some of the winners and finalists from the Independent Schools of the Year 2020 awards, including an interview with Captain Sir Tom Moore’s grandson Benjie, who won the Rising Star category for his fundraising efforts.
You can read Anna’s article on page 23 in the link below.
Kilgraston’s teachers - Mr Maxton’s story
Kilgraston’s teachers and support staff are a diverse and talented bunch.
Take Modern Languages teacher, Mr John Maxton. In the latest edition of Boarding Schools’ Association magazine, Mr Maxton, discusses how having started his professional career as a pilot, he is now happily teaching languages to our pupils.
You can read more about Mr Maxton’s story in the latest edition of Boarding Schools’ Assoication magazine.
You can also find out more about the people behind Kilgraston in our ‘A Chat With…‘ section.