Dumbarton Academy headteacher reflects on anniversary of high school

Alison Boyles started her career as a teacher of chemistry and biology at Jordanhill School before moving on to a depute head role at Bearsden Academy in March 2009.

In October 2019, she took up a joint job role as a headteacher at Dumbarton Academy and Dalreoch Primary and Early Learning Centre and has never looked back since.

Now she reflects on her time as the secondary school celebrates its 10th anniversary of the state-of-the-art building on Crosslet Road in the town.

Alison Boyles joined the school in October 2019 (Image: Colin Mearns)

She said: "I have never worked in West Dunbartonshire before but it is really lovely to work collectively as part of a smaller team.

"I decided five years ago to start on my headteacher journey after being in my previous role for some time and it brought me to Dumbarton Academy.

"No day is the same at all. You work with so many young people, some of whom face very significant challenges and barriers and others who present in challenging ways.

"But it is the best job in the world to help them be successful. I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I feel like because I have been here for four years I have gotten to know the staff and parents very well, and I am no longer a name at the bottom of a piece of paper.

"I am now known in the school community and I think once you are known, people begin to trust you and have faith in you."

The school building is celebrating its 10th anniversary (Image: Colin Mearns)

However, Alison reminded the Reporter that Dumbarton Academy is 538 years old and was originally based in the tower of Dumbarton Parish Church.

It later moved to a rented room in a building in the High Street known as "Walker's Close" in 1761 and then to a new purpose-built building on the west side of Church Street, close to the corner with the High Street, in 1789.

Eventually, the academy moved to a site formerly occupied by Braehead House in Townend Road in 1914, before being converted into a comprehensive school and relocating to Crosslet Road in 1972.

Then in August 2013, the £15.5million school opened its doors to around 700 pupils. The building itself was built with 57 classrooms, an impressive assembly hall and two flood-lit all-weather pitches.

At the time the academy was one of the first high schools funded through the Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme, as part of £70m of Scottish Government funding.

Alison Boyles prides herself on getting the best opportunity for the pupils attending the school (Image: Colin Mearns)

The 52-year-old said: "I am very passionate about the young people of Dumbarton having access to as many opportunities as possible and giving them the best life experiences. Gone are the days of the chalkboard and a whiteboard.

"We pride ourselves on getting it right for every pupil and beyond that their families too. Everything has changed from the curriculum, methodology, staff and our relationship with the community."

And just as she was getting to grips with her role in the school, she was thrown into guiding her pupils and staff through a Covid pandemic.

Alison added: "It is a feeling that cannot be described walking into a school with no pupils.

"Everybody learned very quickly how to educate differently to ensure our pupils' needs were still met. From mastering Zoom, and Google Meet right through to being able to demonstrate their lessons on screens.

"It was never going to be an easy process but we got through it together. If you asked me if I would do it again then the answer would be no. I think that would be the same answer as any teacher or headteacher.

"We were a hub for the local schools and nurseries for key worker children. Our building was always vibrant and busy but during the pandemic, it wasn't which was eery. I just had to get on with it and lead as best as I could, but always come back to what is the right thing for the children."

"We learned hard, we learned fast and kept the children at the centre of it all," she added.

The headteacher made sure the pupils still had the best education possible during Covid (Image: Colin Mearns)

Reflecting on the wider community she said: "People are born in Dumbarton, grow up in Dumbarton and stay in Dumbarton.

"They tend to stay committed to our community. I like to think that not only do we provide the education, but we always give something back to the surrounding area.

"We stand as a venue for local clubs. We work with many partners across the whole of West Dunbartonshire to put back into the community. We build on relationships to ensure our children are getting the best experiences outside of school."

The state-of-the-art-school first opened to pupils in August 2013 (Image: Colin Mearns)

And although Alison is proud of what has been achieved in her time she wants to send out a clear message on the anniversary.

She added: "This is a fabulous building with excellent facilities and resources, but there is no getting away from the fact that Dumbarton Academy is more than just a building.

"It is about inclusion, striving for excellence, nurture and our shared values. For me, the future of Dumbarton Academy is about working together.

"I always say that our young people are preparing for jobs that we don't know of, but we are always preparing for new technology. The next 10 years have many changes ahead for our curriculum, technologies and partnerships, but we will always welcome it with open arms if it will benefit our pupils.

"I have no doubt that it will continue when the building is not seen as the state-of-the-art that it currently is.

"It is about the people that make it up, not just the building. Here's to another 538 years more to come."