Kilmarnock Academy

Kilmarnock Academy
Acadamaidh Chille Mheàrnaig

Current badge (left, 2018–) Former badge (right, 1898–2018)
New building on Sutherland Drive, 2018–present
Address
Map
Sutherland Drive

Kilmarnock
,
East Ayrshire
,
KA3 7DF

Scotland
Coordinates55°36′32″N 4°29′35″W / 55.609°N 4.493°W / 55.609; -4.493
Information
Type11–17 co-educational state-funded secondary school
MottoAspire Together, Achieve Together (2018–)
Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly (1898–2018)
Establishedc. 1630; 394 years ago (1630) (as Kilmarnock Burgh School)
FounderKilmarnock Burgh Council
Local authorityEast Ayrshire Council
Head TeacherDavid Rose
(2015–present)[1]
Staff148 Teaching and non-teaching [2]
GenderBoys and girls
Age11 to 17
Enrolment1,357[3][4]
HousesFleming, Burns, Orr, Wallace
Colour(s)    
PublicationThe Goldberry, 1888–1954, 2018
Affiliated schoolsJames Hamilton, Loanhead, Whatriggs and Onthank primary schools
BlogKilmarnock Academy Blog

Kilmarnock Academy (Scottish Gaelic: Acadamaidh Chille Mheàrnaig), formerly Kilmarnock Burgh School, is an 11–17 co-educational state-funded secondary school in Kilmarnock, Scotland, currently serving in its third location on Sutherland Drive in the New Farm Loch area of the town.[5] Previous sites for Kilmarnock Academy include College Wynd, erected during the 1680s–1690s, Green Street, erected in 1752, and Elmbank Drive, erected in 1898.[6]

The school can be traced back to the 1630s when it was established by the Kilmarnock Burgh Council as 'Kilmarnock Burgh School',[7] making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom and Scotland. The current head teacher is David Rose who was appointed in June 2015 on an acting basis,[8] and was made permanent Head Teacher of Kilmarnock Academy (the newly formed school following merger with James Hamilton Academy) in April 2017.[9]

Kilmarnock Academy is one of a few schools in the UK, and the first school in Scotland, to have educated several Nobel laureates: Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin, and John Boyd Orr, 1st Baron Boyd-Orr, for his scientific research into nutrition and his work as the first Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Kilmarnock Academy thus matches Eton College in the number of Nobel laureate graduates.[10]

  1. ^ "Head Teacher's Message". Kilmarnock Academy. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  2. ^ https://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/Resources/PDF/S/schools/school/KilmarnockAcademySchoolHandbook.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ "Kilmarnock Academy – East Ayrshire". Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  4. ^ "School details". Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  5. ^ "William McIlvanney Campus – Opening Day Timings – Wednesday 18 April 2018" (PDF). Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Kilmarnock Academy history - early buildings". 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  7. ^ "KA Web – Kilmarnock Burgh School". Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Kilmarnock Academy main page". Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Head Teacher Appointment". Kilmarnock Academy. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  10. ^ "William McIlvanney Campus, Kilmarnock · East Ayrshire Council". www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2020.