Rannoch School

Rannoch School
Rannoch School Crest
Location
Near Kinloch Rannoch and Pitlochry Scotland, UK
Information
Type	Private co-educational boarding secondary
Motto	In pursuit of all round excellence
Established	1959 (- 2002)
Grades	s2 - s6 (Years 1 - Upper 6, ages 10 - 18)
Number of students	c. 300 at max
Campus	Rural; c. 90 acres
Website	No longer available

Rannoch School is a former independent boarding school, located on the south shore of Loch Rannoch in Perthshire, Scotland on the Dall Estate, 6 miles from Kinloch Rannoch. Dall House served as the main school buidling and a boarding house.

It was established by three masters from Gordonstoun School in 1959, based on the philosophies of Kurt Hahn. The school's ethos was enshrined in its moto "in pursuit of all round excellence".

Likened to Hogwart's from JK Rowling's Harry Potter novels, Rannoch's location in the Highland Perthshire glens lent itself well to outward bound pursuits and naturally, these became a large part of the school's activities.

Rannoch School from the air

Rannoch School from the air

At its peak, Rannoch School had over 300 boarders (girls and boys) from ages 10 - 18. There were four boys boarding houses; Dall (located in Dall House itself), Potteries, Wade and Wentworth; one girls house Robertson; and a junior boarding house, Cameron. In 1997, to accomodate a greater increase of girls, Wentworth merged with Dall to become Duncan House, and Wentworth itself became a new girls House, Struan.

Rannoch also had a modern sport centre, design centre, swimming pool, chapel and gym donated by the Tiso family.

The estate dates back to 1347 and Dall House was a principal seat of the Clan Robertson until early last century. The building is a romantically styled Scots Baronial mansion house designed by architect Thomas Mackenzie. Prior to being purchased by the school, it was used as offices by the Forestry Commission.

Dall House Dall House Dall House in the mist

Dall House

The school was one of a few in Scotland, (if not the only) that taught SCE Higher grade subjects over two years, rather than one allowing a greater focus on extra-curricular activities. A small number of pupils on occasion took A-Levels instead. Subjects taught included English, Maths, Sciences, Music, Geography, Art, French, German, Modern Studies and Economics.

In addition to the regular sporting acitivies, Rannoch was very active with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, taking full advantage of the school's beautiful surroundings.

Rannoch also had its own volunteer emergency services. The school fire brigade, supported by Tayside Fire Brigade, was manned by pupils and staff to provide emergency cover for the local area. The remoteness of Loch Rannoch meant fires were rare, but on occassion, 999 emergency calls resulted in the fire engine and crew being dispatched.

Three power boats furnished the Loch Patrol service and the mountain rescue service trained with Tayside Police to assist with missing hill walkers. Other services included ambulance, conservation, expedition, meteorlogical and library.

Sports also played a large part at Rannoch, with pupils participating in games four days per-week including, rugby, football, hockey, golf (Scotland's only 8-hole golf course), rounders, cross country skiing and athletics.

Academically, all main subjects were taught, mostly aiming towards Scottish Standard and Higher Grades, but also on occasion to A-Level. A large number of pupils particiapted in music, either learning an instrument or singing in one of the choirs.

Evening clubs and societies were also popular and a range of activities from electronics and film making, to chamber choir and bible study. During the early years, the pupils converted an old barn on the site into a chapel and this remained a central focal point for daily worship.

Pupils in quadrangle outside school chapel School grounds and Dall House in School

Rannoch School Chapel and Quadrangle (left) and 1 XV Rugby pitch and Dall House in snow

Sadly, in 2002, Rannoch School closed for good, having been threatened with closure the previous year but lasting another 12 months through financial donations. Although the demand for independent schooling on Scotland is on the increase, recent years have shown a decline in the number of parents willing to send their children to boarding school. The remoteness of Rannoch and lack of public transport meant that oppportunities for day pupils were very limited, being 6 miles from the nearest village and an hours drive from the nearest city (Perth). Being more accessible from major road networks, the proximity or rival Perthshire boarding schools such as Strathallan and Glenalmond provided an alternative option for parents.

Rannoch produced a number of athletes including former Scotland and British & Irish Lions captain Tom Smith, 2006 Skeleton Olympian, Patrick Singleton and a number of the Tiso family, famous for their outdoor equipment centres.