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Queen Victoria School (QVS) is a non-selective, co-educational, boarding school predominantly for children of Scottish servicemen/women (but see full admissions criteria, below) aged 10/11 to 18. It occupies a Scottish Baronial-style building on a rural campus just outside Dunblane, a short distance away from the city of Stirling, Scotland. It is the only school in the United Kingdom managed and funded by the Ministry of Defence (Duke of York's Royal Military School in Kent is now managed by the DfE).[1]
| Queen Victoria School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , FK15 0JY Scotland | |
| Information | |
| Type | MOD boarding school |
| Motto | In Defens |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of Scotland services every Sunday (compulsory attendance) |
| Established | 1908 |
| Local authority | Stirling Council |
| Head | Donald Shaw |
| Gender | Co-ed |
| Age | 5 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 260~ |
| Former pupils | Old Victorians |
| Website | www |
The school is an agency of the MOD.[2] Education Scotland categorises QVS as an independent school.[3]
History
editThe idea of the school was originally proposed to Queen Victoria as a memorial to the Scottish dead of the Boer Wars, and after her death it was thought fit to name it in her memory. With the support of former politician Robert Cranston, money was raised from Scottish servicemen and the people of Scotland to complete the project. Queen Victoria School was opened on 28 September 1908 by King Edward VII. The chapel was completed in 1910 and is Scotland's memorial to Queen Victoria. Girls were admitted in the 1996–97 academic year into all years and the first female senior monitor, Victoria Harris, was chosen in 1999.[4]
Admissions
editOriginally only sons (and subsequently daughters) of Scottish service personnel were eligible to apply for entry to QVS. Today the school is not only open to applications from children of regular UK Armed Forces personnel who are Scottish but also to those who have served in Scotland or are/have been part of a Scottish regiment. Individuals without a formal Scottish link may also apply.
Curriculum
editQVS uses the Scottish curriculum for excellence and pupils are prepared for National Qualifications (Nat 4–5), Highers and Advanced Highers.
Traditions
edit
Traditionally the school provided an austere but continuous education for Scottish war orphans, with a good deal of military training and sports. Since the Second World War, the school has provided an education to children whose parents or guardians have been travelling the world in the Armed Forces.
A strong military ethos is still maintained by a competing pipe band and Combined Cadet Force (CCF) section. The school has its own "colours" which are paraded nearly every Sunday during term times in the school chapel, its own cap badge, and pupils wear the Clan Stewart hunting tartan. The school pipe band used to play at every rugby home international at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.
Houses
editThe house system is based on the boarding programme as all pupils are boarders. Boarding is available to pupils aged 10 (Primary 7) and above. There are four houses:[5]
| House | Gender | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Cunningham | Boys | S1–S6 |
| Haig | Boys | S1–S6 |
| Wavell | Girls | S2–S6 |
| Trenchard | Co-ed | P7–S1 |
Combined Cadet Force
editThe school has strong military links with attendance at the Combined Cadet Force timetabled weekly. The pupils elect to join one of the three sections, they are Royal Navy, British Army or Royal Air Force.
Commanding officers:
| Name | Rank | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Shannon RD | Commander | 2015–2020 |
| David Acheson MBE | Captain | 2020–2023 |
| Russell Newham | Lieutenant | Current |
Notable alumni
editFormer students of Queen Victoria School are referred to as Old Victorians. See also Category:People educated at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane.
- Charlie Mitten, football player for Manchester United
- MacDonald Brothers, pipers and folk musicians
- Thomas McQuesten, member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- Anthony Rogers, actor
- Bob Bruce (British Army officer), retired major general in the British Army.
- Kyle Rowe, Scotland and Glasgow Warriors professional rugby player
- Josh King, professional rugby player for English Championship side Cornish Pirates.
- Thomas Spence, Scottish National Calisthenics champion.
References
edit- ^ House of Commons Defence Committee (2006). Educating Service Children: Eleventh Report of Session 2005–06; Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence. The Stationery Office. p. 34. ISBN 9780215030627.
- ^ "Memorandum from the Ministry of Defence (ESC 40)". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
Queen Victoria School is unique in Scotland as a Ministry of Defence Government Agency.
- ^ "Summarised inspection findings Queen Victoria School Independent 9 May 2023" (PDF). Education Scotland. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ History & Ethos Archived 25 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Boarding Life
- May, Tom (2008). Remembering the Past, Looking to the Future: 100 Years of Queen Victoria School. Gresham Books. ISBN 9780946095537.