As of 2020, there are over 1,200 pupils at Dollar Academy,[2] making it the sixth largest independent school in Scotland.
Day pupils are usually from the village of Dollar or the surrounding counties of Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire, Perth and Kinross, and Fife. The remaining pupils are boarders. Almost 50% of the boarding pupils are from overseas, with the rest being British nationals.[3] The overall share of international students is about 20% of all students.[4]
History
The memorial to John McNabb, Dollar AcademyThe Revd Dr Andrew Mylne, First Rector of the Academy
Dollar was founded in 1818 following a bequest by Captain John McNab or McNabb. He captained, owned and leased out many ships over the decades and it is known that at least four voyages transported black slaves to the West Indies in 1789–91,[5] less than twenty years before the Slave Trade Act 1807. In 2019, in order to understand the extent of John McNabb’s involvement in the slave trade, research was commissioned in collaboration with external advisors. The school had been "shamed" about this connection in 1998.[6] The school also teaches about McNabb's links to the slave trade in several subjects.[7] McNabb bequeathed part of his fortune – £65,000, equivalent to £6,174,276 in 2021 – to provide "a charity or school for the poor of the parish of Dollar where I was born".[8]
Architecture
Main (west) facade of Dollar AcademyThe library before the fire of 1961
William Playfair was commissioned to design the building. The interior of the Playfair Building was gutted by a fire in 1961, but Playfair's Greek-style outer facades remained intact. The interior was rebuilt on a plan based on central corridors with equal-sized classrooms on both sides. An extra (second) floor was concealed, increasing the total available space.[9] The school was re-opened in 1966 by former pupil Lord Heyworth, and the assembly hall was rebuilt after the fire. The school library is a "whispering gallery" because of its domed ceiling.
Many other buildings have been added to the school over time- such as the Dewar Building for science and the Maguire Building for art and physical education. And in 2016 the Westwater Building was added, named after Private George Philip Westwater, an FP killed in the First World War at Gallipoli. This building contains the Modern Languages department and two Economics classrooms.[10]
The library dome, Dollar AcademyMorning Assembly
Traditions
The Maguire Building
Each year full colours and half colours are awarded to senior pupils for achievement in sporting or cultural pursuits. These awards merit piping on the school blazer (blue for cultural, white for sporting) and/or a distinctive blazer badge. Internationalists' Award ties are presented to pupils, prep, junior, and senior, who have represented their country in sporting or cultural activities.[11]
Pipe Band
The school has two main pipe bands. The "A" band won the Scottish Schools CCF Pipes and Drums competition every year from 2000 to 2012 and 2014 and 2015,[12][13] as well as winning the RSPBAWorld Pipe Band Championships in 2010, 2014 and 2015. In 2013, the band was placed first at the last "Major" of the season, the Cowal Gathering. In 2015, the band won the Scottish, British, United Kingdom, European, and World Championships,[14] leading to them being awarded the title "Champion of Champions". Additionally, the Novice, or "B" band won the British, Scottish, and European Championships in 2015,[15] and was crowned "Champion of Champions".[16]
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