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.

Northfield Academy moving in ‘right direction’, says head teacher, pupils, and Education Scotland

Head teacher Craig McDermott said Northfield Academy is now on a “positive trajectory”, as Education Scotland recognised signs of progress at the troubled school.

Northfield Academy head teacher Craig McDermott with pupils (from left) Alex Imlach, Ryan Jeffrey, Lily Parker and Abbie Buchan. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson
Northfield Academy head teacher Craig McDermott with pupils (from left) Alex Imlach, Ryan Jeffrey, Lily Parker and Abbie Buchan. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Northfield Academy head teacher Craig McDermott has spoken of the school’s “forward momentum” after Education Scotland said the school has made progress.

The Aberdeen school has suffered a string of negative headlines in recent years.

But after damning inspection reports, plummeting attainment levels, and teachers voting to strike over classroom violence, the school is now starting to turn the corner.

In a wide-ranging interview with The P&J, Mr McDermott said the school is now on a “positive trajectory.”

He spoke to us after Education Scotland published a letter to parents praising the school’s progress since he took the helm as acting head teacher after the October holidays last year. He was made permanent head in March.

Northfield Academy head teacher Craig McDermott. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Positives of Northfield Academy not always recognised, says head

“The young people are fantastic,” said Mr McDermott. “The community is brilliant. The staff are dedicated and committed to improving outcomes.

“Yes, we recognise that some have a way to go. But some are already starting to move in the right direction.

“That’s thanks to work that’s taken place over a number of years.

“I don’t think that’s always portrayed as it should be, and recognised.”

Originally a music teacher, Mr McDermott has previously worked at city schools such as Torry Academy and St Machar Academy. Most recently, he was head teacher for additional support needs (ASN) and outreach across Aberdeen.

He was also part of the ‘tactical team’ which was set up to help make improvements at Northfield Academy.

Craig McDermott brought a wealth of experience to Northfield Academy as the school continues to tackle various challenges. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Remarkably, Mr McDermott still finds time to act as musical director of local amateur dramatics, which he has been involved with for more than 15 years. This includes the Attic Panto, which puts on shows at the Tivoli every year.

After an inspection in early 2023, Northfield Academy was given the lowest grade, ‘unsatisfactory’, in all four areas of assessment.

Such was the damning nature of the resulting report, which came out in March 2023, Aberdeen City Council called on the Scottish Government to intervene.

However, Education Scotland said in a letter published this week – following a further visit to the school by inspectors two months ago – that Northfield Academy “has made progress since the original inspection.”

‘Significant improvement in school culture’ at Northfield Academy, though concerns remain

Mr McDermott was praised in the letter for providing “clear direction for school improvement”, with Education Scotland adding that he is “highly regarded by staff and young people.”

The letter also said staff and parents feel valued, and that there had been “significant improvements in school culture.”

In addition, it pointed to an “increasing majority” of pupils saying they felt safe in school.

The negatives included continuing concerns around bullying, and behaviour in corridors.

Poor attainment and attendance – with “too many” pupils walking out of classrooms – were also highlighted.

Northfield Academy. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Steps have been taken to improve attainment however, with the letter noting “greater rigour and accuracy around literacy and numeracy levels in S1 to S3.”

But what do the pupils think?

The P&J also chatted with pupils Lily Parker, Alex Imlach, Ryan Jeffrey, and Abbie Buchan about the school’s progress. They’ve just moved up to S2 as they near the end of their first year at Northfield Academy.

All were in agreement that the school’s bad reputation is unjustified.

And they were particularly enthusiastic about the S1 ‘Crew’ model, which was also praised by Education Scotland in its letter this week.

The Crew model aims to better support S1 pupils by providing a nurturing environment where they feel included and respected.

It was part of a huge redesign of S1 in light of the tactical team’s recommendations, which included restructuring the pastoral care team.

The pupils we spoke to all said Crew had brought them closer to the teachers, and been crucial in helping them settle into the school.

Northfield Academy pupils (from left) Abbie Buchan, Lily Parker, Alex Imlach and Ryan Jeffrey. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

The daily focuses of Crew are: Mindful Mondays, Tranquil Tuesdays, Wise Wednesdays, Thoughtful Thursdays, and Flexible Fridays.

They do community clean-ups, check-ins, and even held a residential outdoor experience earlier in the school year.

‘It’s annoying when people talk about the bad stuff’

Lily said: “Northfield has such a bad reputation, so when people think of the school they always think of the worst parts, but not what actually goes on in the school.

“You hear about bad reports and bullying but not about the good stuff – how empathetic the staff are or how good most of the pupils are.”

Alex agreed: “The school’s better than it was. My sisters used to go here and they would talk about how bad it was.

“It seems to have become a much safer place.

“The staff are really helpful, if you’re having a bad day they’ll try their best to turn it around and just make you happier.”

Northfield Academy pupils and head teacher Craig McDermott chat with The P&J’s Calum Petrie. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

And Ryan added: “A lot of the people from other primary schools I’ve met coming up to Northfield have been really nice. I’ve got a great bunch of mates.

“Crew is another good thing because it’s a lot different from the usual set-up.

“It’s relaxed and chilled, and you get to speak to staff more and it’s easier to make friends.”

And Abbie said: “It is annoying when people talk about the bad stuff, because when you get here you realise it’s not at all like people say.

“There are all these rumours about what Northfield’s like, about what happens here.

“It makes you nervous about coming here, but it’s not like that at all.

“Things like Crew are great as well – you know there’s always someone you can speak to if you’re struggling.”

Readers can view the full transcript of our interview with Craig McDermott here

Conversation