Inverness High School plays a big part in the lives of many Merkinch residents. The News and Views took a look behind the school gates and reports back with the help of Ritchie Cunningham, Head Master and Trevor Larkin, 6th Year pupil and Editor of the school’s own magazine...

Seven years after becoming headmaster of Inverness High School it is hard to believe Ritchie Cunningham has had time to try out the rector’s chair.

Many of the school departments have had radical makeovers and the school has a new system of discipline. Is he tired out yet? "I’m still interested in new things but not for their own sake. If its going to be a good idea its got to get its way into the classroom. A lot of new ideas just mean more administration and a lot of bureaucracy. If it doesn’t have an impact on the classroom it’s worthless," he said.

The school has already got the number of computers it needs to meet government standards for 2000. The technical and home economics classrooms have also been refurbished. Asked to single out something IHS had that the other schools did not, he said: "Better facilities in a variety of ways...the computing department is second to none and our class sizes are relatively small which makes a big difference."

The pupils are contributing to the successes too. Mr Cunningham said: "The technical department has pupils in most nights after school... The technical results are very very good so it must have an impact. Their practical work was complimented by the external examiner."

The school has also built a new drama studio and photography darkroom which broadens the range of education available to pupils at the school. "The after school activities have grown," said the Rector. "The extra curricular activities depend a lot on what teachers are interested in. There’s been quite a high turnover of staff with new teachers coming into the school and teachers retiring...many more sports activities."

Mr Cunningham is surprisingly dismissive of the statistics which show, on average, pupils from the school do not get as many qualifications as those at other schools in the Highlands. "It doesn’t really tell us very much, it will be much more interesting when we can see what we have added to someone’s education. What they came in with and what they leave with."

Many of the pupils who start first year need a lot of help with basic skills like reading and writing which means Inverness High School is starting further back from the blocks in the race to gain qualifications. The school is committed to improving all of its students. "They might not be able to reach Standard Grade but we will help them to do better than when they arrived," he said.

Pupils at the school also do well when they go on to sit Highers in 5th and 6th year. The school has small class sizes and can afford to give pupils a chance to do Highers even if they did not reach one of the top grades at Standard Grade. "If they did not do well in the Standard Grades, for whatever reason, so long as they completed the work and tried we will often let them sit the Higher."

Mr Cunningham feels pupils performance is linked to their chances of getting a job. "The unemployment rate here is lower than it has been for years, that makes it easier to motivate people. Four years ago we were really very concerned about our leavers. The numbers going directly into employment are quite high now, they’ve jumped quite a bit." The High School’s figure for pupils leaving directly into employment is higher than either the regional or the national figure.

Being in the Highlands is not all good news though. As always there seems to be less money about. "Highland isn’t a very well funded region, it has to run a lot of small schools which is very expensive...the amount of money we spend doesn’t seem to be much for a school of this size. So in an urban environment it would probably have more money and I’d have more staff somewhere else."