As a schoolboy the odds of academic success were stacked against Lochgelly High teacher Jamie Scobie.
His mother worked hard to provide for him and his five siblings, but money was tight to the extent he was entitled to free school meals.
Was it not for a summer school aimed at helping disadvantaged children into university, higher education would have been out of reach.
But the principal guidance teacher has just been awarded his fourth degree – a masters with distinction from prestigious Cambridge University.
Now Jamie, 33, hopes his story will inspire the young people at his school, which has among the highest levels of deprivation in Fife.
He said: “I’m from a very similar background to the kids I work with.
“I was a pupil who got free school meals, from a single parent family, first generation to go to university.”
‘Not the type of person who goes to university’
Many of his pupils, he said, believe they are not the type of person who goes to university.
But he said: “For a lot of them, it’s about expanding their horizons, realising what opportunities are out there and seeing that those opportunities are for them.”
Few of the pupils from Jamie’s Edinburgh secondary school went on to higher education.
He was fortunate to have an “incredibly hard-working” mother as a role model. He also had grandparents who supported his aspirations.
His eldest sister was the first in the family to go to university. She studied medicine at Edinburgh.
Jamie said: “I looked to her as that inspirational figure. She could do it.
“But I also saw the kinds of things she needed to do to level the playing field for herself.”
His sister Sarah, now a consultant oncologist in Fife, attended the same LEAPS summer school which Jamie followed her into.
That widening access programme led to a place studying English and philosophy at Stirling University.
Working odd jobs to pay his way
He said: “If I hadn’t participated in that I would never have ended up going to university.”
To support himself, Jamie also did a multitude of jobs. They ranged from delivery driver to bakery worker.
Returning to LEAPS as a student volunteer convinced him he wanted to work with young people. He returned to university, therefore, for his post-graduate diploma in education.
Before he arrived at Lochgelly High School six years ago, father-of-two Jamie had embarked on his first masters degree, which he was awarded by Stirling University in 2018.
His second – in advanced subject teaching – he was presented with in Cambridge last Saturday, watched by proud wife Hannah.
As principal teacher for guidance, part of his remit is encouraging and helping pupils to apply for university.
He said: “I don’t think for a minute that university is necessarily the best route for all young people. There are a wealth of other excellent routes.”
But for those for whom a degree could be key to success he is passionate about helping them see they can go to university.
Jamie’s hopes for Lochgelly leavers
He said: “A lot of young people might not initially identify with university or view themselves as being a university candidate or student.
“They have preconceived ideas about the type of people that go to university and they don’t see themselves as that person.
“Also, there are practical barriers. They might not realise what funding is available, what support is available.
“Often our young people are the first in their family to go to university and it’s not that parents aren’t supportive but it’s not something they know about and can give advice on.
“Ultimately it’s our job to ensure that they realise it absolutely is an option for them and they absolutely do have a place there, if that’s the right place for them.”
Conversation