South Ayrshire Council - Ayr History

Site map | A to Z | Contact us | Listen
Text size: T T T

Museums and Galleries

Ayr 800

Archives

Schooling in Ayr is first mentioned with reference to people being educated at the Church of St John the Baptist as early as 1233. Around 1502 came the first reference to the Burgh Council’s interest in education, something that was to continue. From this time there was always a school in Ayr, and Ayr ‘Academy’ was the main school until the 1900s.

Engraving showing the Church of St. John

Early Schooling
Early schooling took place at the Church of St John from around 1233. Music and Latin were taught by the Church to allow participation in the church choir and understanding of the Latin mass.

From 1502 the Town Council employed a schoolmaster to teach Latin and Grammar. Following the Reformation (1560) a Protestant Minister was appointed. Music continued to be taught through what became known as the ‘Sang Schule’.

Parents had to pay for their child’s education and this meant that the pupils were mainly those of burgh merchants or lairds from the landward areas.

Current Schools in Ayr
South Ayrshire Council runs most schools in Ayr, with the exception of Wellington School, which is privately run. There are currently 9 Secondary schools and 45 Primary schools educating 8409 primary and 7412 secondary pupils during 2004. The Council also provides education for pre-5s and those outside formal education.

Ayr Academy
Ayr Academy developed continuously from the Sang Schule of 1233. The’ Academy’ was to allow local access to a high standard of education, previously expensive and requiring travel to Glasgow or Edinburgh. In 1798 a royal charter was granted to establish an ‘Academy at Air’. In 1796 the Academy opened in the Sandgate, until moving to the present site on Fort Street in 1800.

Following the Education Act of 1872 the Academy accepted girls to the school (although they had a separate entrance). From 1947, when the school leaving age was raised to 15, other High schools opened in Ayr such as Belmont (1960), Mainholm, (1965), Kyle, (1979) and the new Queen Margaret school (1975).

The Poor
Access to education was difficult for those who could not afford fees. Some bequests were set up to educate pupils along with charitable schools for the poor, like the Lady Jane Hamilton School.

Private Schooling
Private schools emerged due to the demand and price of schooling. Initially the council discouraged private schools, desiring the income from the school not to enter into private hands. However, by 1764 the Council encouraged such schools to keep up with demand for schooling and educational reform.

Private schools were originally the only avenue to formal education for girls as originally the Latin or Grammar schools were not considered appropriate for them: ‘ it is not seemlie that sic lasses should be in the grammar school amang the lads’.

Ayr 800