THE new pound;7 million Ardnamurchan secondary will be the “best of the old, best of the new” when it opens in 18 months but will not be a trendy, carefree experiment in 21st century education, Bruce Robertson, director of education in Highland, says.
Mr Robertson firmly quashed media reports which suggested that the high-tech secondary for up to 250 pupils would resemble the controversial Summerhill in Suffolk.
“It would be contrary to the needs of young people in Ardnamurchan to even consider setting up anything like he failed Summerhill experiment and nothing could be further from the Highland mentality,” he said.
The Strontian school, being built through a public private partnership scheme, will deploy the latest technology. Most pupils currently board during the week in Fort William, while others take tortuous journeys to Tobermory and Mallaig.
Some senior pupils - for no more than two days a week - might be able to follow Higher Still courses by logging on at home. Pupils up to S4 have to attend every day by law.
