The Academy has a history dating back to the 19th Century. At one time secondary pupils from remoter areas stayed in school hostels in Aberfeldy, but with better roads and the depopulation of many remote areas, the hostels were closed at the end of the 20th century. Construction of the current campus building began in 2007, with it opening in 2010.
HMIE Inspection
In its most recent HMIE inspection the school was graded ‘very good’ in three out of five categories and ‘good’ in the remaining two. The school was particularly praised for its positive ethos underpinned by excellent staff-pupil relationships. These attributes were again picked up by a recent Nursery inspection, which praised the school’s nurturing environment and quality of leadership. The school was visited by a local authority team in May/June 2018 which also resulted in a very positive report which can be seen on the school website. The school boasts current high levels of attainment, reflected in the school placing within the Sunday Times 2018 top 50 performing state schools in Scotland.
Campus
The current Community Campus opened in December 2010. The school boasts a 25m swimming pool, three outdoor tenis courts, two squash courts, both two-court and four-court indoor areas, a climbing wall, an all-weather astroturf playing surface, a recording studio, a dance studio, and extensive ICT resources which have recently been boosted by considerable investment in hardware and software.
Achievements
Breadalbane Academy has a strong record in science and technology and pupils in S2 recently won the national Salter Award for Chemistry. The school was also one of three finalists in the Scottish Education Awards STEM category in 2018. The school has also been called a national leader in the development of school based vocational qualifications and was awarded the Scotland-wide LANTRA award for vocational education in 2017. The Rural Skills class has featured on the BBC Beechgrove Garden programme, where the school’s provision was celebrated as an example of national good practice. The school's Formula 24 team under Physics teacher David Mclean found success in 2017, coming third in the regional heats and qualifying for the international final. The team won best kit car in Scotland.
Breadalbane Academy's English department has had a checkered past. In 2009 the school's English department suffered numerous failings which delayed the release of pupils' Higher Prelim results. The department was ultimately reorganized. An independent investigation known as the Jardine Report was conducted. The report concluded that 'mistakes were made on all sides and the rights and expectations of pupils seem to have been lost in the shambolic situation'. In subsequent years, and under new school management, the English department has performed well in SQA examinations. In 2016 one of the school's English teachers from 2010 to 2013, Gillian Scott, was judged unfit to teach by the General Teaching Council for Scotland. A GTCS Fitness to Teach Panel concluded that throughout her three years at the school, Scott's 'level of teaching deteriorated rather than improved' and that Scott did not show any interest in teaching or improving her teaching skills. Among other issues, Scott never learned how to produce a lesson plan, instead relying on generic worksheets copied from the Internet, gave identical and repetitive work to all pupils regardless of skill, and did not attempt to engage with pupils. By 2016 Scott had left Scotland to teach English as a foreign language abroad. The verdict of the GTCS panel is disputed.
