A retained firefighter and esteemed educator has been appointed as the new headmaster of the senior school at Gordonstoun.
Richard Devey first volunteered his services with the local fire crew when he began working as a teacher at the Moray boarding school in 1992.
Mr Devey has said he has to intentions of hanging up his firefighter helmet and will carry on responding to emergency calls with the Gordonstoun crew.
Mr Devey will be the first head teacher at an independent school who also works as an active firefighter.
The highly-respected teacher will be able to continue to set an example for the children of Gordonstoun, near Elgin, in his new position. Mr Devey has said that his top priority as head will be “to bring out the best in every child.”
The 53-year-old added: “Inspiring a willingness in the next generation to provide service to the community is more relevant than it’s ever been, so I hope to combine on-call duties as a retained firefighter with this important new role.
“At Gordonstoun we believe it is very important students are willing to put the needs of others ahead of their own. This develops a sense of social responsibility and compassion towards people from all walks of life and the satisfaction of helping others without expectation of reward.”
Mr Devey is hugely popular amongst both pupils and staff alike, having held the position of deputy head previously. He replaces Titus Edge, who has been headmaster of Gordonstoun for seven years.
Gordonstoun is known for educating three generation of the Royal family and was recently rated as “outstanding” by HM inspectors.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter
In his career as a retained firefighter, Mr Devey has attended over 230 incidents, including pumping floodwater out of Elgin homes during the floods of 1997 and 2000.
Mr Devey is a proud crew member of the fire unit that is based within Gordonstoun’s campus. This is the only one in the UK to include a fire engine that is crewed by a team of firefighters who are under 18 and comprised of pupils of the school.
Gordonstoun’s principal, Lisa Kerr, is delighted to welcome Mr Devey as the head of senior education at the boarding school.
She said: “Richard has a wonderful mix of experience which promotes the unique Gordonstoun ethos whilst also ensuring it remains at the forefront of educational innovation in character education.
“Gordonstoun’s work has just been described as ‘sector leading’ by HM Inspectors from Education Scotland and I have no doubt that Richard will help us build on this and achieve our vision as part of a dynamic new leadership team.”