Perth Academy

Perth Academy
Badge of Perth Academy Sports Teams
Address
Murray Place Perth, Perth and Kinross, PH1 1NJ Scotland
Information
School type	State school, High school
Motto	Pro Rege Lege et Grege
Founded	1696
Status	Currently Active
LEA	Perth and Kinross Council
Rector	Mr Jonathan M Lothian
Enrollment	S1 to S6 and teachers
Pupils	960 (as of September 2016)
Education system	Secondary education
Language	English, Polish, German, Romanian, Русский
Hours in school day	6.5 not including after school activities
Colour(s)	Royal Blue and White
Sports	Rugby, Hockey and Basketball
Feeder schools	Balbeggie Primary, Collace Primary, Goodlyburn Primary, Guildton Primary, Letham Primary, Robert Douglas Memorial School, Viewlands Primary
Website	http://www.perthacademy.org.uk/

Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the Perth and Kinross Council area.

While able to claim a strong connection to the Perth Grammar School founded in the twelfth century, the name Perth Academy first appears in 1542 when it was founded by the town council, still making Perth Academy one of the oldest schools in Scotland. The first Rector of the school was the Honourable John Murray (later Duke of Atholl); at this time it was considered a purely honourable title, before later being given to the head teacher of the school. By April 1762 accommodation was first provided for the school, in the form of a two-storey building which occupied the site of the current city hall.

At this time education in Perth was provided by a variety of smaller institutions each specialising in a particular field. By the 1800s it was felt that the disparate nature of these, often cramped, buildings was detrimental to the efficiency and success of the schools. This, combined with a new appreciation of the value of education, led to a new building being built to house the different schools. Designed by Robert Reid, later the King's architect, work on this building was started in October 1803, and finished for the start of the teaching year in 1807. The building housed the Academy (at the time specialising mostly in Maths and the sciences), the Grammar (specialising in mostly Classics, History and Philosophy), the English School, the French school, the Drawing and Painting school, and the Writing school. Together they were known as the public Seminaries, and were housed on Rose Terrace, near the North Inch of Perth.

This arrangement was continued until 1892, when, under the terms of the 1878 Education Act, control of the schools was transferred from the council to the newly created school board. At this point the term Seminaries was no longer used and the institution began to be officially termed Perth Academy, with the other schools being termed as departments within the school in the 1873 prospectus. Teachers were still paid separately and collected their share of the tuition fees directly from the students in their classes. In 1881 that this was changed, with the fees going into a central treasury before being redistributed.

In 1915 the Academy was amalgamated with the rival Sharp's institution, also located in Perth, leading to a decrease in the fees paid by students.

The school moved to its present site at Viewlands in 1932, construction on the building having begun in 1930. The buildings were designed by the Edinburgh architects, and school specialists, Reid & Forbes, one of their late classical works.