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Kate Tees: Time to say a fond farewell to Walker Road Primary and look to a bright future at Greyhope

Walker Road Primary teacher looks back at her almost 30 years at the school.

Walker Road primary
Walker Road will close its doors for the last time.

It was a lovely day in August 1995 when I took my first tentative steps into Walker Road School.

I had just graduated from Northern College and was now working as a supply teacher in Aberdeen. Little did I realise what a huge part of my life Walker Road School was to become and how I would still be teaching there almost 30 years later.

As a supply teacher, I was working in other places in the city, but Walker Road became one of my two main schools.

Kate Tees.
Kate Tees has worked as a teacher at Walker Road Primary for almost 30 years.

To begin with, I did a lot of covering different classes. I loved the hustle and bustle of the building and I always felt very welcome.

Walker Road seemed to be a happy school with lots of vibrant pupils.

The school year is an extremely busy one. Term one is all about getting to know each other and the class expectations.

Term two has always been a favourite, as it takes in so many festivals.

Christmas, as you can imagine, is a hectic but fabulous time in the classroom.

At Walker Road the children in Primaries 1 and 2 would be the stars of the nativity.

Young girls dressed as angels for the Nativity Christmas Concert
Walker Road School Nativity Christmas Concert. Image: Kenny Elrick 03/12/2018

Primaries 3 to 7 would have a Christmas open day when parents were invited to watch their children singing Christmas songs.

At the end of the afternoon, the children would leave their classrooms to sing White Christmas whilst leaning on the railings of the school well.

During the song, with the lights low, everyone would drop tiny pieces of white paper. It was a magical moment, but I’m sure Caroline, our fabulous cleaner, must have hated it!

Term three was the real working term and was a time for getting heads down.

Just before the spring holidays though, we would have an Easter egg decorating contest.

The children would bring in hardboiled eggs ready to decorate. The level of artistic expression was amazing.

Everyone had a wonderful time using their creativity skills, but the strong smell of eggs did seem to linger for an eternity!

The last term involved lots of excursions and celebrations. There were terrific trips to Edinburgh Castle, Dalguise, Amsterdam and Germany to name but a few.

Walker Road Primary School teacher Kate Tees and Ghanaian teacher Basil Johnstone in Ghanaian dress.
Walker Road Primary School teacher Kate Tees, left, and Ghanaian teacher Basil Johnstone in Ghanaian dress.

We also had lots of fun staying at school. My favourite memory took place last summer.

In order to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we had a huge party in the playground. The sun shone, there was music and we even had a visit from the Queen … or former teacher, Mrs Gilchrist!

But enough of looking back now is the time to start looking to the future and our amazing new school.

The building is beyond comparison and today, I watched my pupils excitedly exploring their state-of-the-art classroom. Their enthusiasm was almost tangible and their eagerness for November 1 is contagious.

Throughout my time at Walker Road School, I have always been extremely proud to say I am a teacher in Torry.

I’m sure that won’t change when we move to Greyhope School, but I may need to set my satnav as a reminder on the Monday morning.


Kate Tees has been a teacher at Walker Road Primary School for almost 30 years.

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