Hazlehead Academy

Hazlehead Academy is a comprehensive secondary school in Aberdeen, Scotland. It has four main feeder primary schools, Airyhall Primary School, Fernielea Primary School, Hazlehead Primary School and Kingsford Primary School - in addition to this, pupils who have been part of a Gaelic unit at Aberdeen's Gilcomstoun Primary School can transfer to Hazlehead, which offers Gaelic as part of the curriculum.HistoryHazlehead Academy is a six-year comprehensive school on the western edges of Aberdeen, adjacent to Hazlehead Park. It has a history stretching back for over 100 years. Hazlehead Academy was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on 7 October 1970. This followed a move from the existing school based in Belmont Street, in what is now the Academy Shopping Centre. Plans were laid towards the end of the 1950s. The education committee at the time had under consideration the reorganisation of the existing Secondary provision of 3 Senior Secondary schools and a number of Junior Secondary schools into 10 co-educational comprehensives. Hazlehead Academy would become one of these senior secondaries and then a comprehensive school.The design of the new school sought to reflect the priorities of the day and there are a few interesting quotes from the booklet produced for the occasion of the opening."In the building of the school provision is made for smaller groups of pupils so that they can dine together, have common facilities and be in a position to meet in a much more personal way. For the first time ever in any secondary school in Aberdeen, it has been possible to provide the entire playfield accommodation on the same campus as the school so that no journey is necessary and playfield provision becomes more than ever before an integral part of the school curriculum. The school has taken fully two years to build and the final cost will be approximately £900,000."