Collieston Themes (education)

There have been primary schools in Collieston and the surrounding parish of Slains since the mid nineteenth century. The village school finally closed in 1949 and the Collieston children now travel some three miles, by bus, inland to Slains School. The older children attend secondary school in Ellon. In both instances the local authority provides free bus transport.

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(Geordie – Education) Jock Ritchie talks about Geordie Tough’s School Colvid0002

Education in the 1970s

Mabel Esson (a former teacher) talks about school life.

Snowbound at Slains School

Mabel Esson talks about a serious blizzard and how school children came to be snowbound in her farmhouse.

Collieston School in 1923

The pupils and teacher of Collieston School in 1913. The school roll was dramatically affected by the decline of the fishing industry in the early years of the 20th Century when many of the fishing families left the village to work in Torry, Aberdeen.

As a result, the school had to close in May 1922 and the few remaining pupils continued to be educated at Slains School, some three miles distant. However, due to overcrowding at Slains School, Collieston School was re-opened ten years later in 1932.

This was only to be a relatively short-term reprieve for the school and it finally and permanently closed its doors as a teaching establishment on 1st July, 1949. The last Head Teacher was Mrs Gladys Robertson.

Jack Ingram's School Report

A copy of the Day School Certificate awarded to John (Jack) Ingram in 1926. Jack left Slains School when he was 14 years old. Born at No 22 Collieston in 1912, Jack was the second youngest of eleven children born to Charles Ingram, a salmon fisherman, and his wife Margaret.

The Ingram family moved to Cluny Cottages, one of the former Coastguard Cottages, in 1929. After leaving school Jack was ‘fee’d’ at several local farms before studying to become a psychiatric nurse.

Jack and his wife, Jessie, also a psychiatric nurse, worked at a hospital in Perthshire until retiring in 1970 and moving back to Collieston.

Slains Schoolhouse in 1920

Slains Schoolhouse, viewed from the south, near the main Newburgh-Cruden Bay road circa 1920. The house was home to the Head Teachers of Slains School until the 1980’s, when it was sold as a private dwelling, soon after the retirement of Mr Emslie.

Slains School is clearly visible to the rear of the schoolhouse. In the 1960’s a new school was built to cater for the growing number of children living in the area and the old school was demolished in 1968. The land occupied by the old school was subsequently turned into a playground for the pupils.

Collieston School pupils in 1932

Mrs McLeod and her class at Collieston School in 1932. The school, which opened in 1877, closed in 1922 and the children from the village had to travel some three miles to the nearest school at Slains for their education.

Due to overcrowding at Slains School, Collieston School was re-opened in 1932. It finally ceased to be a school on July 1, 1949. The last Head Teacher was Gladys Robertson.

The building is now used as the Collieston Community Centre and many local organisations such as the Children’s Playgroup, Over 60’s Club and Women’s Rural Institute, meet in the Centre on a regular basis.

Slains School pupils in 1937

Pupils of Slains Public School in 1937. Most of the children who attended the school at this time came from families who either worked on the farms in the Parish of Slains or on the nearby Auchmacoy Estate with only a few children from Collieston attending the school at this time.

The population in Collieston had not yet recovered from the exodus of families to Torry, Aberdeen, following the decline in the fishing industry some thirty years earlier. The fishing families still owned their houses in the village but many of them were rented out or lay empty for most of the year until they were used by the families who came back to the village during the summer months.

The school building, visible behind the group of children, was subsequently demolished in 1968 and replaced by a modern school building. Where the original school building was situated has now been transformed into a playground for the children.

The last class at Collieston School

Pupils and Head Teacher of Collieston School in 1949. The school originally opened in 1877 but had to close temporarily in 1922 due to falling numbers in the school roll. The remaining children from the village were then required to travel some three miles to the nearest school at Slains to continue with their education.

However, due to subsequent overcrowding at Slains School, the school in Collieston was re-opened in 1932. Sadly its reprieve was not to be permanent and it eventually closed for the last time on July 1, 1949.

The school building is now the Collieston Community Centre and many local organisations such as the Children’s Playgroup, Over 60’s Club and Women’s Rural Institute, meet in the Centre on a regular basis.

Slains School pupils in 1955

Teacher and pupils of Slains School in 1955. The children who went to Slains School lived in Slains, Auchmacoy or Collieston. The building, visible behind the children, was demolished in 1968 and replaced by a new one.

Most of the pupils who lived in Slains came from local farming families, while those from Auchmacoy were from families who worked on the Auchmacoy Estate. The Collieston children came from a variety of family backgrounds with many of their parents working in and around Aberdeen.

Slains School Pupils in 1962

Pupils of Slains School in 1961. The catchment area of the school at that time was the Parish of Slains, including Auchmacoy, Slains and Collieston. Many of the children from Slains and Auchmacoy came from farming families or from those families who worked on the Auchmacoy Estate.

The Collieston children came from a variety of family backgrounds with many of their parents working in and around Aberdeen. The school building, visible behind the group of children, was demolished in 1968 and replaced by a modern school building.

Pupils of Slains School in 1961. The school had a staff of three full time teachers and some 60-70 pupils whose families were resident in Slains, Auchmacoy and Collieston.

Many of the children belonged to the local farming community, while some of them were the children of families who lived and worked on the nearby Auchmacoy Estate.
The Collieston children came from a variety of family backgrounds with many of their parents working in and around Aberdeen.

The school building, visible behind the group of children, was demolished in 1968 and replaced by a more modern school building.

Slains School is rebuilt

Old Slains School was demolished in 1968. Clearly visible behind the rubble of the old building is the new school. The land occupied by the old school eventually became a playground for the pupils.

Already fully operational by the time the old school was demolished, the school had a staff of three teachers and some 60-70 pupils whose families were resident in Slains, Auchmacoy and Collieston.

A school outing to Collieston

Pupils from Mrs Mabel Esson’s class at Perthudden, a bay south of Collieston, in 1970. Mrs Esson was a member of staff at Slains School from 1967-1982 when there were some seventy pupils on the school roll and a complement of three full-time teachers.

The steep, wooden, steps led down to Perthudden and the Pumping Station, clearly visible behind the line of children. Water, which provided the residents of Collieston with their supply of mains water, was pumped from an underground stream up to a header tank at the top of Perthudden.

The wooden steps were subsequently dismantled and removed in the 1990’s after the closure of the Pumping Station.

Slains School pupils in 1970

Pupils are gathered in the playground of Slains School in 1970. At the time the school had a staff of three full time teachers and some 60-70 pupils whose families were resident in Slains, Auchmacoy and Collieston. The majority of the pupils travelled to school by bus. Those pupils who either walked or cycled were in a minority.

Lunches were provided by the School Meals Service. Cooked at nearby Cruden Bay School, the meals were packed and transported to Slains on a daily basis and eaten by both pupils and teachers in the dining area of the hall.

The new school building visible behind the children and opened on 21st September 1967 by Sir Douglas Ritchie, was built to replace the old school building which was eventually demolished in 1968.

Slains School pupils in 1988

Pupils and Teachers of Slains School in 1988. Front Row (L to R) William Fuerst, Ian Crawford, Gavin Wilkie, Matthew ?, Peter Hunter, Angus Page.

Second Row (L to R) Oskar ?, Jenny Robinson, Claire Hague, Elaine Cowie, Diane Irvine, Elaine Irvine, Karen Sim, Keri Wilkie, Neil Ritchie.

Third Row (L to R) Mr Connel, Kevin Harper, Susan Coutts, Stuart Sim, Ewan Cowie, Claire Harper, Miss Presley.

Back Row (L to R) Christopher Hunter, Heather Bruce, Christopher Robinson, Helen Sim, Aaron Crump, Stuart Smith.

Collieston School as a Community Hall

Collieston Community Centre was originally built as the village school and opened as such in 1877. After a temporary closure in 1922, due to a decrease in the school roll, the school was finally closed on July 1, 1949.

As was common practice in small rural communities in the latter part of the 20th Century the building was altered internally to enable it to function as an important focal point of village life and toilets and a kitchen area were installed.

The house attached to the original school building, formerly lived in by the headmaster and his family, is now used as storage space for the various organisations which use the building on a regular basis. These are many and varied and include the Children’s Playgroup, Over 60’s Club and Women’s Rural Institute.