This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Inverness High School
16/09/2005
The Schools of Ambition programme should mean that young Scots will never again be told that they shouldn't have ideas above their station, pupils and teachers were told today.
First Minister Jack McConnell visited Inverness High School, one of the first secondary schools set to benefit from the Executive's new programme, and said:
"In Scotland today, most pupils and most students have raised their aspirations and improved their results. But many still need a radical transformation to change expectations, improve discipline and create more success.
"We want our schools to aim high, stretch, challenge and inspire their pupils.
"We don't want to see youngsters in Scotland being told that they shouldn't have ideas above their station. We want them to have the ambition and belief that they can use their talents and achieve their full potential.
"I have no doubt that these Inverness pupils, and thousands more across the country, will do exactly that.
"This school, and nineteen others, have the determination and ambition to completely transform their school and give young Scots a better start in life.
"With schools full of pupils striving to achieve their ambitions, Scotland will be a more confident and successful country in the future."
Twenty secondary schools have become part of the Schools of Ambition programme which aims to raise the ambitions of schools, instil belief and ambition in pupils, extend their opportunities and transform their life chances.
Schools on the programme receive up to £100,000 per year. Support from philanthropic donors is also encouraged.
Inverness High School, with a roll of 487, serves the most deprived catchment area in the Highlands. Part of the catchment area is also in the lowest five socio-economic areas of Scotland.
Inverness High School has embarked on an innovative enterprise project involving the local community with the school at its centre. The REAL project (Real Education Active Lives) has already led to suggestions for improvements in the buildings, the curriculum, the role the school can play in the community and a plan for a social enterprise that can combine the public and private sectors.
Pupils have also been involved in local enterprise projects aimed at raising money for a trip to Africa. So far they have managed to raise £40,000.