1993: The Sunday Post: Article Written by an Unknown journalist
Inside Scotland’s most Unusual School
Classroom is a Stable
A fresh-faced little girl smiled and pointed to a cupboard in a corner of the tiny classroom. ‘We’ve got pickled mice in there!’ she exclaimed. The rest of the class – another three girls – giggled at her bravado. The girls were in a science class in one of the most unusual schools in the world. Kilquhanity house, in Castle Douglas, Dumfriesshire, is a Georgian mansion, surrounded by seven acres of land. A visitor could easily mistake the grounds for an extended adventure playground. Rickety wooden tree huts overlook a pond, which is traversed by a metal hawser with a seat dangling precariously from it. A rope tempts you to swing over the water. Nearby a Canadian log cabin is entered by a ladders through a hatch in the floor. This is the maths classroom.
Behind the house is a farmyard with cows, pigs and poultry. Stables adjoining the mansion are home to more tiny classes. In keeping with the almost unreal atmosphere of Kilquhanity, a young lad stomps around clanging a bell to announce class changeovers and meal-times.
With a roll of 50 pupils, from 5 to 14 years old, and a dozen teachers, Kilquhanity has an unusually generous pupil-teacher ration. Results are there for all to see. No sense of grimness, no miserable pupils, no graffiti and a disconcerting amount of laughter.
Honours There’s also a high incidence of pupils who graduate with honours from universities. One such former pupil was American reporter Bob Cuddihy, who was a presenter on STV. It’s all the living dream of John Aitkenhead, headmaster and founder. As a pacifist, he became a conscientious objector at the beginning of the last war and could not continue teaching in a state school because of his beliefs. He quit his job, cashed a life-insurance policy and paid a short-term rent on Kilquhanity House. When he set up his own school, John took fees according to parent’s means. His original school roll even included German and Italian pupils. Eventually John bought the house, attracting pupils from just about every country imaginable.
His approach is friendly, creative and radical, with an emphasis on personal development. Classes are deliberately small, arts and crafts given more importance than usual. From kindergarten on, pupils have workshop sessions for sewing, pottery, art and woodwork. However, Kilquhanity is no escape from the Scottish Education Department’s national guidelines. John says, ‘We take care to ensure mastery, at a primary stage, of reading, writing and counting – the actual tools of learning. And we have earned an excellent reputation for helping children who are handicapped by dyslexia or other learning difficulties.’
No Television The setting in the Urr Valley is ideal for a rural community school. A share in domestic work is part of everyday life. Each morning, staff and children share the chores, whether cleaning rooms, lighting fires, wood chopping, cycle repairs or animal care. In the classrooms there isn’t a computer or television to be seen. According to age, pupils share decision making. A weekly council meeting is attended by all and chaired by an older pupil. Half are boarders, the others day pupils. Several Japanese girls are on the current roll, for john recently toured Japan - which has a strict education system – lecturing on his teaching methods.
As a result, a Japanese teacher has set up a school on similar lines. ‘My idea isn’t original,’ says John, ‘it was inspired by A. S. Neill, a Scot and an original thinker on education. He advocated that pupils have a choice of subjects and lessons, with the subtle essence of freedom being learned all the time. He set up a successful school on these lines in England.’
Current annual fees are £1200 for junior pupils to £1800 for seniors. There is also an assisted Government places scheme for the over-10s and occasional scholarships.
But recession has hit even this idyllic spot, and, from September, Kilquhanity will open for day pupils only. This year, Scotland’s most unusual school also welcomes a Tibetan refugee, sponsored by the Buddhist monks at Eskdalemuir Monastery, because he can’t get a state education.
