Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

First female Madras College rector will lead the historic school into a new era

New rector Avril McNeill will lead Madras College from the historic to the modern as it moves from its campus at South Street.
New rector Avril McNeill will lead Madras College from the historic to the modern as it moves from its campus at South Street.

A Fife school almost two centuries old will welcome its first female rector as it enters a new era.

Madras College’s new head Avril McNeill, 47, will take up post in August, bringing all three secondary schools and the university in north-east Fife under female leadership.

As well as overseeing pupils’ return to school almost five months after the country went into lockdown, Mrs McNeill will preside over the long-awaited move to the St Andrews school’s new building next summer.

Having been rector at Glenrothes High School for six years, she said: “This is a new challenge for me and I can’t wait to get started.

“I am absolutely delighted and very, very proud to be the first female rector, albeit acting rector, since the school’s inception in 1833.”

Mrs McNeill acknowledged the work of retiring rector David McLure as she looked ahead to an “exciting time” for Madras College.

 

Madras College construction restarting with hope of completion next summer

Construction of the £50 million new building at Langlands, which will replace the school’s campuses at South Street and Kilrymont Road, recently resumed.

Its completion will be a new chapter for the school founded by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell, a chaplain who taught children in India using what was known as the Madras system where older pupils help teach the younger ones.

An artist’s impression of the new Madras College.

Mrs McNeill said: “This will be a fantastic facility for the whole community and the young people.

“What I will be making sure of is that the community gets good communication about that and where we are with it.”

When she takes up the helm on August 10, her first priority will be “ensuring the wellbeing of staff and the young people on their return and getting back to a new normal”.

I am absolutely delighted and very, very proud to be the first female rector, albeit acting rector, since the school’s inception in 1833.”

Avril McNeill

Mrs McNeill said: “It will be about making them feel safe and happy on their return and getting them ready for potential exams in 2021 for those young people who have missed out on that.”

Coronavirus restrictions on normal life will have had an impact on pupils, she said.

“They will have missed the social contact with their friends. We need to make sure they have that social contact.

“For me, a big part of it will be getting them back into the routine of going to school every day and rebuilding their confidence.”

Pupils will have learned to varying degrees during lockdown, she said as she praised the support of Fife Council and the Scottish Government in ensuring access to educational material.

Teachers will be absolutely delighted to see the young people back again.”

She said: “Once they are back we need to make sure we are supporting them in their learning and bringing them back up to speed.

“Teachers will be absolutely delighted to see the young people back again.”

Mrs McNeill will be familiar to some Madras staff, having taught history and modern studies there from 1998 to 2005.

Trained at Jordanhill College and originally from Renfrewshire, Mrs McNeill, who is married to Alasdair and mum to Finn, 16, and Oran, 12, has also taught at Kirkland High School, where she was principal teacher, and was depute rector at Perth Academy between 2010 and 2014.

Avril McNeill’s appointment was welcomed by the local MP and Madras College parent council.

Her appointment, temporary for now due to the current situation, was welcomed by Madras College parent council.

A spokesperson said: “Not only will Avril be the school’s first female rector but she will bring an energy and a drive and a passion to the role that should be welcomed by all.”

Female rectors

The other female rectors in the area are Carol Ann Penrose, at Bell Baxter High School, in Cupar, and Elizabeth Smart, at Waid Academy, Anstruther, while at St Andrews University Professor Sally Mapstone is the institution’s second female principal.

The area’s Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain welcomed the appointment of another woman.

She said: “I’m pleased to see that women are rising through the ranks of our education sector here in Fife.

“As the first woman MP for North East Fife, and with Sally Mapstone leading St Andrews University as its principal, it’s great to see women in leadership roles across secondary education as well.

“I look forward to meeting Avril in her new role and wish her the best of success at Madras after the summer.”

I’m pleased to see that women are rising through the ranks of our education sector here in Fife.”

Wendy Chamberlain MP