A north-east school’s new headteacher has been speaking about what attracted him to the role.
Neil Hendry has started at Inverurie Academy having previously worked at Lochside Academy in Aberdeen.
Last month, we shared that Mr Hendry was leaving the Granite City’s largest school.
People were also quick to praise him for the work he did at the Wellington Circle secondary.
The £47 million school opened in 2018 to replace Torry and Kincorth academies.
‘Really excited’ by move to Inverurie
Mr Hendry believes he was always destined to be a teacher and said he knew from the age of 12 he would do so.
He hopes that the Garioch secondary school will make important connections throughout the town.
Mr Hendry said: “I am really excited about the opportunity Inverurie gives us. The new campus is obviously attractive but also the location of the school.
“I really like the idea of a school bang in the middle of a town, and in a town that I believe very much looks after its community very well.
“There are real opportunities to work with a variety of different partners. You are then looking to create that positive ripple from the campus out to the wider community.”
He is looking forward to getting to know pupils, staff, parents and other organisations in Inverurie over the coming weeks.
Help kids ‘chase their dreams’
Mr Hendry has also revealed why he opted for a career in secondary education.
He said that he is “very fortunate” to have worked with young people for the best part of three decades.
Mr Hendry said the possibility of helping pupils in Inverurie will continue to be his goal.
He said: “It’s all about young people. That’s why you come into teaching. You want to guide young people; you want to give them the best possible opportunities to chase their dreams.
“I have been very fortunate that for almost 30 years I have been able to do that. This will continue to be my focus at Inverurie Academy.”
Long teaching career
Having known he always wanted to be a teacher, Mr Hendry spent four years studying physical education (PE) at John Moores University in Liverpool.
Mr Hendry then returned to Aberdeen and started as a PE teacher at Robert Gordon’s College where he spent five years.
He then became head teacher of guidance at St Machar Academy where he stayed for 12 years and also worked as assistant head teacher and deputy head teacher.
The next stop was a spell as a quality improvement officer for Aberdeen City Council.
Following that role, Mr Hendry was head teacher of Northfield Academy for five years before becoming head teacher of the new Lochside Academy.
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