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90-641: Marr College is a co-educational secondary school in Troon , South Ayrshire , Scotland. Marr College is the third largest secondary school in South Ayrshire, with 1,127 pupils enrolled at the school in 2023–2024. The building itself is owned by the Marr Trust and the running, maintenance and operations of the school is managed by South Ayrshire Council . The school was gifted to the town of Troon by Charles Kerr Marr. The school transferred from Marr Educational Trust to

180-488: A Strathclyde Region run school. When Strathclyde was abolished in 1996, the newly formed South Ayrshire Council took over the responsibility of the school, delegating much responsibility to the school's Head Teacher. Whilst much of the original building remains standing and intact, much of the building had fallen into a state of disrepair. Throughout 2016-2017, the school underwent a substantial renovation and new building blocks undertaken by South Ayrshire Council to improve

270-402: A high school (abbreviated as HS or H.S. ), can also be called senior high school . In some countries there are two phases to secondary education (ISCED 2) and (ISCED 3), here the junior high school , intermediate school, lower secondary school, or middle school occurs between the primary school (ISCED 1) and high school. John Swinney John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964)

360-562: A "flout [of] the democratic will of the people of Glasgow". Margo MacDonald , a fundamentalist within the SNP, voiced her lack of confidence in Swinney's leadership. MacDonald was placed fifth in the Lothians region for the 2003 Parliament election in the SNP's candidate selection, effectively ending her chances of being re-elected as an SNP MSP. In protest, she ran instead as an independent candidate and

450-490: A council representative issued a statement that South Ayrshire Council, as far as their budget has allowed, has maintained the original Marr College building, which has seen several improvements, including upgraded roofing and new and more energy-efficient window replacements. Whilst a new Marr College campus has yet to be constructed, there have long been concerns from members of the Troon community and parents with children attending

540-608: A different education system and priorities. Schools need to accommodate students, staff, storage, mechanical and electrical systems, support staff, ancillary staff and administration. The number of rooms required can be determined from the predicted roll of the school and the area needed. According to standards used in the United Kingdom, a general classroom for 30 students needs to be 55 m , or more generously 62 m . A general art room for 30 students needs to be 83 m , but 104 m for 3D textile work. A drama studio or

630-472: A former MSP for Central Scotland , was the first to call for Swinney's departure, with Michael Russell , a former potential campaign manager for Swinney calling for a change in approach from the SNP. Members of the SNP shadow cabinet began privately discussing removing Swinney from the leadership, and Alex Salmond advised Swinney to resign in exchange for senior party figures not calling openly for his resignation. On 22 June 2004, Swinney resigned as leader of

720-504: A freedom of information request showed that even if Swinney had funded the mechanism, problems and delays in the HM Revenue & Customs computer system made any collection of the tax impossible. The Scottish Government added, "The power has not lapsed, the HMRC simply does not have an IT system capable of delivering a ten-month state of readiness." As Finance Secretary , Swinney was faced with

810-628: A greater variety of classes, or sponsoring a greater number of extra-curricular activities . (Some of these benefits can also be achieved through smaller but specialized schools, such as a dedicated special school for students with disabilities or a magnet school for students with a particular subject-matter interest.) In terms of structure, organization, and relationships, larger schools tend to be more hierarchical and bureaucratic , with fewer and weaker personal connections and more rigidly defined, unvarying roles for all staff. Teachers find that large schools result in more information to process in

900-734: A motion of no confidence in him. Swinney u-turned and published the advice; the Scottish Greens declared they would not support the motion of no confidence and it was defeated by 65 votes to 57. A report by Audit Scotland in March 2021 concluded that the results of Swinney's efforts to reduce the poverty related attainment gap in Scottish education were "limited and [fell] short of the Scottish Government’s aims. Improvement needs to happen more quickly and there needs to be greater consistency across

990-451: A referendum on independence before pursuing negotiations with the British government. Wilson argued that as soon as the SNP can form a government it should pursue negotiations to end the union. The election was held at the party's 69th annual conference, and saw Swinney winning a massive victory over Wilson. Moves in support of Wilson's proposition of pursuing independence negotiations without

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1080-560: A referendum were thrown out at the party conference, and Swinney won significant policy battles over imposing a monthly levy on party MPs, MSPs, and MEPs. In a surprise result, the new central membership system was also approved. The membership changes had been a key issue of attack from Wilson. Soon afterwards, the party's National Executive Committee decided to suspend and then expel Campbell Martin . He had backed Wilson's leadership challenge and had continued to be overtly critical of Swinney's leadership, resulting in disciplinary action. This

1170-422: A secondary school may have a canteen, serving a set of foods to students, and storage where the equipment of a school is kept. Government accountants having read the advice then publish minimum guidelines on schools. These enable environmental modelling and establishing building costs. Future design plans are audited to ensure that these standards are met but not exceeded. Government ministries continue to press for

1260-683: A similar dual mandate position. In 1999 Swinney was elected to the 1st Scottish Parliament , representing the North Tayside constituency . In Salmond's opposition cabinet, he served as the Spokesman on Enterprise and Lifelong Learning . He also served on the Parliament's Finance Committee and was the Convener of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee. In 2000 Alex Salmond resigned as leader of

1350-561: A single basketball court could serve a school with 200 students just as well as a school with 500 students, so construction and maintenance costs, on a per-student basis, can be lower for larger schools. However, cost savings from larger schools have generally not materialized, as larger schools require more administrative support staff, and rural areas see the potential savings offset by increased transportation costs. Larger schools can also support more specialization, such as splitting students into advanced, average, and basic tracks , offering

1440-417: A specialist science laboratory for 30 needs to be 90 m . Examples are given on how this can be configured for a 1,200 place secondary (practical specialism). and 1,850 place secondary school. The ideal size for a typical comprehensive high school is large enough to offer a variety of classes, but small enough that students develop a sense of community. Research has suggested that academic achievement

1530-711: Is a Scottish politician who has served as First Minister of Scotland since May 2024. Swinney has served as Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) on two occasions, since May 2024 and between 2000 and 2004. He has held various roles within the Scottish Cabinet from 2007 to 2023 under First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon . Swinney was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North Tayside from 1999 to 2011 and, following boundary changes, has been MSP for Perthshire North since 2011. He

1620-524: Is being given to providing English teachers to older pupils and that temporary arrangements have been put in place, led by the department head." One of the parents who raised concerns about the staffing problems at the school referred to the situation as "a joke,"  arguing that "we are at the stage where children are being taught by a temporary geography teacher,"  further commenting that English language subjects are "fundamental," and parents of children attending Marr College are concerned that "something

1710-550: Is best when there are about 150 to 250 students in each grade level, and that above a total school size of 2,000 for a secondary school, academic achievement and the sense of school community decline substantially. Arguments in favor of smaller schools include having a shared experience of school (e.g., everyone takes the same classes, because the school is too small to offer alternatives), higher average academic achievement, and lower inequality . Arguments in favor of larger schools tend to focus on economy of scale . For example,

1800-604: Is fundamentally wrong within the Marr English department." In addition to traditional curriculum subject, Marr College offers pupils opportunities to study and train through the School of Rugby, School of Hockey and School of Handball. These schools form part of the school curriculum at Marr College during years S1-S3. Children attending Marr College in years S1-S3 attend timetabled coaching sessions as well as after school training and planned matches. Marr Rugby Football Club (Marr RFC)

1890-583: Is headed by the Head Teacher, currently George Docherty. Secondary school In the United States , most local secondary education systems have separate middle schools and high schools . In the United Kingdom , most state schools and privately funded schools accommodate pupils between the ages of 11 and 16 or between 11 and 18; some UK private schools, i.e. public schools , admit pupils between

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1980-637: Is progress to be made in maths and science." Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "These two areas are so critical to the success of much of Scotland's modern economy. We should be doing so much better." In August 2020, Swinney was subject to a vote of no confidence in Parliament, with the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all accusing Swinney of creating an exam results system which "unfairly penalised pupils at schools which had historically not performed so well". During

2070-552: The 2001 UK General election . The party failed to take any of their target seats and saw the loss of one of their MPs, reducing their representation at Westminster from six to five. In the Perth constituency , the Scottish Conservatives were 50 votes behind the SNP. Although the SNP's vote share remained the second-largest party, behind Labour, their vote share fell by 2%. Swinney's predecessor, Salmond, stated "consolidating as

2160-469: The 2004 European elections , in a smaller field of 7 (Scotland up until then had 8 MEPs) the Scottish press and certain elements within the fundamentalist wing of the Party depicted the result as a disaster for the SNP putting further pressure on Swinney to resign. After the results of the 2004 European Parliament election , senior figures within the SNP began privately briefing against Swinney. Gil Paterson ,

2250-498: The 2007–2008 financial crisis , which resulted in the Scottish economy entering recession . The Scottish economy began to gradually slow in 2007 as a result of stock market concerns regarding the U.S. housing market. Scottish economic output fell for four consecutive quarters before a slight recovery in Q3 in 2009, before falling again by the end of 2009. Swinney advocated that at the start of

2340-457: The 2016 Scottish Parliament election , the SNP lost its overall majority, but remained the largest party with Sturgeon securing a second term as first minister. She reappointed Swinney as deputy first minister, and for the first time in nine years, he was reshuffled from his roles as Finance Secretary to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills . After the 2017 General Election saw the SNP lose 21 seats, pollster Professor John Curtice told

2430-518: The 2019 United Kingdom general election . Following the results of the 2024 United Kingdom general election in Scotland , the SNP became the second largest party in the UK Parliament representing Scottish seats, having won 9 seats, losing a total of 39 seats across Scotland. Across the United Kingdom, the results saw a Labour Party landslide victory, and similarly in Scotland, Scottish Labour became

2520-595: The National Secretary in 1986, at the age of 22. At the 1997 general election , he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tayside North constituency, and in 1999 he was elected to represent the same area at the Scottish Parliament . He stood down as a Westminster MP at the 2001 general election in order to avoid splitting his time, in line with all of his colleagues who found themselves in

2610-740: The Roman Rota in order that Swinney be allowed to marry in the Catholic Church , to which his second wife belongs. In 2003, Swinney married Elizabeth Quigley, a BBC Scotland News reporter. Quigley was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000. In 2010, she gave birth to Swinney's third child, Matthew. They live near Blairgowrie in Perth and Kinross . Swinney is a member of the Church of Scotland and has described himself as "a man of deep Christian faith". However, he has clashed with his party colleague Kate Forbes due to her religious views (Forbes

2700-655: The Scottish Greens . After an agreement, Salmond was appointed first minister of Scotland and he appointed Swinney as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in his first minority government . As response to Swinney not notifying the Scottish Parliament that he had let the Scottish Variable Rate lapse due to not funding this tax mechanism, the Scottish Parliament voted to censure him and called his actions "an abuse of power". Subsequently,

2790-653: The Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1979 at the age of 15, citing his anger at the way in which Scotland had been portrayed by television commentators at the Commonwealth Games . He quickly became a prominent figure in the party's youth wing, the Young Scottish Nationalist , now known as the Young Scots for Independence (YSI) . He served as the SNP's Assistant National Secretary, before becoming

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2880-583: The Strathclyde Regional Council after the trust lost its anomalous direct-grant status in 1978. When the Strathclyde Regional Council was abolished and replaced by South Ayrshire Council in 1996, South Ayrshire Council became solely responsible for the school's educational provision. Throughout 2016-2017, it underwent extensive restoration, including a new building extending from the original school building. In 2023, Marr College

2970-409: The 'minimum' space and cost standards to be reduced. The UK government published this downwardly revised space formula in 2014. It said the floor area should be 1050 m (+ 350 m if there is a sixth form) + 6.3 m /pupil place for 11- to 16-year-olds + 7 m /pupil place for post-16s. The external finishes were to be downgraded to meet a build cost of £1113/m . A secondary school locally may be called

3060-570: The 1920s. Swinney was educated at Forrester High School , before attending the University of Edinburgh , where he graduated with an Master of Arts Honours degree in politics in 1986. He was a research officer for the Scottish Coal Project from 1987 to 1988, a senior management consultant with Development Options from 1988 to 1992, and a strategic planning principal with Scottish Amicable Life Assurance from 1992 to 1997. Swinney joined

3150-586: The 2008 financial crisis, the Scottish Government and Swinney as finance secretary "acted swiftly to provide an immediate capital stimulus to Scotland's economy at the start of the 2008 financial crisis. As a consequence, Scotland's experience of recession has been shorter and shallower than the rest of the UK". Following the defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in the 2014 referendum , Salmond resigned as leader of

3240-561: The BBC that the party's record on education had likely dented its popularity: "The SNP may want to reflect that their domestic record, not least on schools, is beginning to undermine their support among those who on the constitutional question are still willing to support the Nationalist position." In March 2020, after the results of Scottish students dropped in maths and science in the international PISA rankings for education, Swinney admitted, "There

3330-684: The Court of Session in Edinburgh after receiving the Royal Warrant of Appointment by King Charles III . Swinney's early premiership was marked by the resolution of the Michael Matheson iPad scandal : the SNP MSP Michael Matheson had incurred a £11,000 bill after taking a Parliamentary iPad while on a family holiday, and had attempted to claim the bill back on expenses before admitting that

3420-557: The English model, but differs significantly in terms of labels. This terminology extends into the research literature. Below is a comparison of some countries: Schools exist within a strict legal framework where they may be answerable to their government through local authorities and their stakeholders. In England (but necessarily in other parts of the United Kingdom) there are six general types of state-funded schools running in parallel to

3510-469: The English-speaking world, there are three widely used systems to describe the age of the child. The first is the 'equivalent ages'; then countries that base their education systems on the 'English model' use one of two methods to identify the year group, while countries that base their systems on the 'American K–12 model' refer to their year groups as 'grades'. The Irish model is structured similarly to

3600-676: The Finance Committee from 2005 to 2007. Swinney was a substitute member of the Audit Committee from 2004 to 2007. In September 2005, Swinney was made Shadow Minister for Finance. In the 2007 election to the 3rd Scottish Parliament , the SNP emerged as the largest party, with one seat more than the governing Scottish Labour . Initially the SNP proposed coalition talks with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, however, they declined and instead Swinney led coalition talks with

3690-522: The No Confidence debate, Nicola Sturgeon described him as "one of the most decent and dedicated people in Scottish politics", while The Herald newspaper reported that: "Mr Swinney endured a deeply uncomfortable hour in the Holyrood chamber, as opposition MSPs said he had been a serial failure at the education portfolio, and he knew it." The motion was defeated by 67 votes to 58 resulting in Swinney surviving

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3780-483: The SNP and Swinney was seen as a likely candidate in the leadership race , however, he "unreservedly" ruled himself out for a second bid as leader and endorsed Nicola Sturgeon . Sturgeon was elected unopposed as leader and was subsequently appointed First Minister of Scotland . On 21 November 2014, Sturgeon appointed Swinney as Deputy First Minister . He remained as Finance Secretary in Sturgeon's new cabinet . In

3870-497: The SNP's backbenches and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee. He spent the duration of Humza Yousaf 's premiership on the backbenches. Following Yousaf's resignation in April 2024 amid a government crisis , Swinney launched his leadership bid on 2 May, after Kate Forbes , who was a serious contender to become leader, dropped out and endorsed him. Graeme McCormick announced he would challenge Swinney for

3960-423: The SNP, which triggered a leadership contest . Swinney ran in the election against Alex Neil . The leadership contest was dominated by internal fights in the party between Gradualists , who advocated Scottish devolution as step towards independence , and Fundamentalists , who were suspicious of devolution and supported a more radical approach. Swinney represented the gradualist wing and Neil represented

4050-483: The Scottish National Party, triggering a leadership contest . He was succeeded by Alex Salmond after winning more than 75% of votes against Roseanna Cunningham and Michael Russell on a joint leadership ticket with Nicola Sturgeon . From 2004 until the 2007 Scottish Parliament election , Swinney sat on the SNP's opposition backbenches . He served as a convener on the Parliament's European and External Relations Committee from 2004 to 2005 and deputy convener on

4140-534: The addition of gold braiding on the sleeves and top pocket of the school blazer with details of the award embroidered on the breast pocket of the blazer. Full colours are awarded for pupils in S6. S6 pupils can apply for colours to recognise their success and achievements for the final time in the December of their S6 year before they leave the school. The addition of gold braiding around the whole school blazer features details of

4230-497: The ages of 13 and 18. Secondary schools follow on from primary schools and prepare for vocational or tertiary education . In high and middle income countries, attendance is usually compulsory for students at least until age 16. The organisations, buildings, and terminology are more or less unique in each country. In the ISCED 2014 education scale, levels 2 and 3 correspond to secondary education which are as follows: Within

4320-547: The award being awarded to pupils, embroidered on the breast pocket of the school blazer. A Colour band is also added to the blazer. In Marr College, all pupils from S1-S6 are placed within a school house. There are five houses – Fullarton, Lothian, Darley, Portland and Welbeck – and each is headed by a school captain who are pupils in S6. The management team at Marr College consists of one head teacher, five deputy head teachers and several principal teachers of individual subjects and principal teachers of guidance. The management team

4410-519: The best value to the community, the bid could not proceed. In 2008, Turner Townsend commissioned a report entitled Fit for Purpose, which highlighted a serious number of concerns regarding the condition of the current buildings that make up the Marr College campus. Many members of the Troon community believed that the issues relating to the condition of the Marr College estate were due to negligence and neglect on South Ayrshire Council's part. In response,

4500-591: The case for Scottish independence , however, the only parties which increased their representation in that election were the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) and the Scottish Green Party , both of which also support independence. Following the results of the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Bill Wilson , a party activist, became convinced that a change of direction was needed by the SNP leadership. After discussing this with various SNP members, he

4590-506: The committee due to previous comments about Matheson's conduct. Swinney's support for Matheson was described as "incredible and indefensible" by the Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross , and "unbelievable and embarrassing" by the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar . Swinney directed the SNP to abstain on the parliamentary vote on the committee's recommendations, after introducing an amendment re-iterating Swinney's complaints about

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4680-454: The country." In 10 Scottish council areas the attainment gap between the richest and the poorest children increased. Following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Scottish Labour urged Sturgeon to replace Swinney as Cabinet Secretary for Education, citing what it called "a litany of failures", in the "hope a new minister can stop the rot." On 18 May, Sturgeon announced Swinney would continue as Deputy First Minister but would be reshuffled to

4770-405: The duration of Humza Yousaf 's premiership on the backbenches and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee. Following Yousaf's announcement of his resignation in April 2024 , Swinney ran to succeed him at the 2024 SNP leadership election and was elected unopposed. His early premiership was marked by the loss of 39 seats at the 2024 general election , reducing the SNP to

4860-442: The education has to fulfill the needs of: students, teachers, non-teaching support staff, administrators and the community. It has to meet general government building guidelines, health requirements, minimal functional requirements for classrooms, toilets and showers, electricity and services, preparation and storage of textbooks and basic teaching aids. An optimum secondary school will meet the minimum conditions and will have: Also,

4950-452: The educational facilities and learning environments to bring the build-up to date with other newly built schools in the area and to improve educational outcomes for the pupils. The improved updates, estimated at a cost of £37 million (in 2017 terms), have seen new facilities added to the existing Marr College estate, such as a new sports hall, a new teaching wing and improved landscaping around the school estate. In July 2017, prior to renovation,

5040-562: The effect of the cost of living and the implications of Brexit. Both of those are major strategic factors that are doing severe economic and social damage to Scotland because of bad decisions taken in Westminster. And independence is the answer to that". Early into his premiership, Swinney faced questions from opposition parties regarding the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill which had been introduced by Shona Robison and

5130-578: The first 12 days of the school year, and in 2023, the school had problems with unchecked bullying. In 2018, parents of children attending Marr College raised concerns over the function of the school's English language department, following issues with staffing within the department at the school. Head Teacher George Docherty wrote to parents, advising them that the department had seen three staff leave to take up new posts in other schools. He further advised parents that "we are continuing to actively recruit for two further permanent posts" and confirmed that "priority

5220-636: The first stop of his tour of the four countries of the United Kingdom and met with Swinney at the official residence of the First Minister, Bute House . During the meeting, both Swinney and Starmer agreed to "work together" and to "reset the relationship between their two governments". In September 2022, amid the death and state funeral of Elizabeth II , Swinney stated that the monarch should remain head of state of an independent Scotland . In May 2024, during an interview with Sky News, Swinney claimed that he believed that Scotland could become independent "in

5310-533: The fundamentalists wing. Whilst both candidates supported the position of the SNP on the centre-left, Neil was seen as the more left-wing of the two, and individuals associated with the Neil campaign argued that a Swinney leadership would drag the SNP to the right . Swinney won an overwhelming majority of votes by party delegates, securing 67.1% of votes. He was appointed leader at the party's conference on 16 September 2000. Roseanna Cunningham , who endorsed Swinney in

5400-479: The iPad had not been used for work purposes. Swinney refused to support the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's proposed sanction on Matheson, describing Matheson as a "friend and colleague" who had "made mistakes", and casting doubt on the integrity of the committee's process: describing the process as "prejudiced", Swinney claimed that Conservative MSP Annie Wells should have removed herself from

5490-754: The investigation into Matheson. The Scottish Parliament subsequently voted in support of the committee's proposed sanction, banning Matheson from the Scottish Parliament for 27 days and withholding his salary 54 days, the heaviest sanction ever awarded to an MSP. The majority of Swinney's cabinet were previously part of Yousaf's previous governments. The only addition to the cabinet was Kate Forbes replacing Shona Robison as Deputy First Minister of Scotland , and taking part of Màiri McAllan 's responsibility for economy into her portfolio as Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic . Robinson was, however, re-appointed by Swinney as Finance Secretary with additional responsibility for local government , with McAllan appointed as

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5580-410: The larger environment (e.g., announcements about 100 programs instead of just 10) and that as individuals they form fewer relationships with teachers outside of their primary subject area. Smaller schools have less social isolation and more engagement. These effects cannot be entirely overcome through implementation of a house system or " school within a school " programs. The building providing

5670-518: The largest party representing Scottish constituencies at Westminster. Following the results, Swinney said that the outcome of the election in Scotland was "very, very difficult and damaging". High profile SNP MPs lost their seats in the election, including Kirsten Oswald , Tommy Sheppard , Alison Thewliss and Joanna Cherry . On 7 July 2024, newly elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer travelled to Edinburgh on

5760-565: The leadership race, was elected Depute Leader. Swinney's leadership quickly came under challenge. His subdued style of debating technique was often contrasted with that of his more charismatic predecessor. In 2002 Dorothy-Grace Elder , the SNP MSP for the Glasgow region, resigned her party membership after coming dissatisfied with the leadership of the SNP. She sat as an independent MSP, but Swinney called for her resignation, describing her actions as

5850-404: The leadership, saying he had the 100 nominations on 5 May. Just hours later, he withdrew and endorsed Swinney, who became the presumptive nominee. On 6 May, with no other candidates put forward, Swinney was elected as party leader unopposed. He said that he would work with Scottish unionists as leader. Swinney was officially sworn into office as first minister of Scotland on 8 May 2024 at

5940-441: The model that paved the way for state comprehensive schools, which was created long before the establishment of state comprehensive schools became a political ambition. Whilst a board of governors initially ran the school, it still provided free education in a traditional Scottish manner. Pupils from all areas of Troon attended the school despite their backgrounds. Marr College lost its anomalous direct-grant status in 1978 and became

6030-552: The new cabinet role as Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery . Swinney also served as Acting Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy from July 2022, whilst Kate Forbes was on maternity leave. Following Sturgeon's resignation in February 2023, Swinney announced on 2 March 2023 that he was standing down from his position as Deputy First Minister. He stated that it had been an "honour to serve Scotland". In March 2023, Swinney moved to

6120-479: The next five years" as a consequence of Brexit and the cost of living crisis. In May 2024, Swinney described himself as following a " moderate centre-left agenda". Swinney was married to Lorna King from 1991 to 1998. They had two children: Judith and Stuart. The couple divorced in 1998 after the Daily Record revealed King had an affair with a married nursery teacher. The marriage was subsequently annulled by

6210-473: The party's vote share dropping by 4.9%. They lost eight of their seats they had gained in the previous election under the leadership of Salmond. Despite a poor result, this was also mirrored by the Scottish Labour Party , who lost six MSPs and their vote share dropped by 4.2%. The SNP remained the second-largest party at Holyrood . The decline in support for the SNP was viewed by some as a rejection of

6300-411: The previous Scottish Labour first minister, Henry McLeish . However, the only parties to gain seats in that election were the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) which, like the SNP, support independence. After an unsuccessful challenge to his leadership in 2003, and the party's unfavourable results at the 2004 European Parliament election , Swinney resigned. Salmond returned to

6390-579: The private sector. The state takes an interest in safeguarding issues in all schools. All state-funded schools in England are legally required to have a website where they must publish details of their governance, finance, curriculum intent and staff and pupil protection policies to comply with The School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 and 2016 . Ofsted monitors these. School building design does not happen in isolation. The building or school campus needs to accommodate: Each country will have

6480-409: The reduced portfolio of Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy . Swinney claimed that he believed that Scottish independence could "be achieved in the next five years" as a result of Brexit consequences on Scotland and the Scottish economy, as well as the cost of living crisis. In an interview with Sky News , Swinney said "if we look at two of the biggest issues we face as a country in Scotland;

6570-547: The role at the subsequent 2004 leadership election . From 2004 to 2007, Swinney was a backbencher . At the 2007 Scottish Parliament election , the SNP won the highest number of seats, and Salmond was subsequently appointed first minister. Swinney served under Salmond as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth from 2007 to 2014. After Sturgeon succeeded Salmond, she appointed Swinney as Deputy First Minister in 2014. He also served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy , until that role

6660-566: The school crest featuring details of what merited the colour being awarded for. Ties are awarded to pupils in S4 who demonstrate success and achievement, and the tie is a variation on the original Marr College school tie which all pupils wear, however, it features thicker purple and gold stripes as well as the addition of a red stripe for academic success, green stripe for sport or a blue stripe for all other achievements. Half colours are awarded for pupils in S5 with

6750-611: The school roll was 921 pupils. After, with the new wing, capacity rose to 1350. The condition of the Marr College building has been well known and a matter of concern to South Ayrshire Council. In 2001, Marr College was included on a list of schools within South Ayrshire for consideration to be included on the Public Private Partnership bid to South Ayrshire Council – a bid which would have seen an entirely new state-of-the-art school estate constructed. Due to community issues, such as disagreements on which proposal would represent

6840-444: The school that the current school building is overcrowded. South Ayrshire Council acknowledge and agrees on this point but highlights that when South Ayrshire (then Strathclyde Regional Council) took over Marr College in 1975, the increase in pupil roll was addressed by implementing hut classrooms and extending parts of the school to meet the needs of the local community. On 29 November 2017, the £37 million new extension of Marr College

6930-811: The school. The school recognises the awarding of colours are a significant honour for pupils, and expect pupils to demonstrate long term commitment in order to be considered for an award. Full Colours are the highest form of award given by the school, and therefore, has the most challenging criteria for pupils to meet in order to be awarded. Four colours are available to pupils during S1-S6 and are as follows: Four levels of school colours are awarded to pupils depending on their year group. Badges are awarded for pupils in S2 and S3, with S1 pupils able to apply from June of their S1 year, following their first full year at Marr College and when they are ready to progress into S2. Badges awarded to pupils for success and achievement in S2 and S3 have

7020-410: The second party in Scotland is no mean achievement" and highlighted it put the SNP in a good position for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election in 2003 . Following the results of the election, Swinney admitted there were "lessons to learn" and ensured the SNP would be the "principal opposition party in Scottish politics". In the 2003 election, the SNP performed poorly in yet another election, with

7110-808: The second-largest party in Scotland and the fourth-largest party in the Westminster Parliament . John Ramsay Swinney was born on 13 April 1964 in the Western General Hospital , Edinburgh, the son of Kenneth Swinney, a garage manager, and Agnes Weir Swinney ( née Hunter). His uncle Tom Hunter was awarded the Victoria Cross whilst serving with the Royal Marines during the Second World War . His maternal grandparents, Ramsey and Mary Hunter, were from England, having moved to Edinburgh in

7200-558: The vote and remaining as Scottish Education Secretary. In March 2021 Swinney was the subject of a second motion of no confidence. As the minister in charge of liaising with the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, Swinney twice refused to publish legal advice requested by the committee. After two votes in Parliament failed to persuade him to publish the advice, opposition parties announced

7290-513: Was Member of Parliament (MP) for Tayside North from 1997 to 2001. Born in Edinburgh , Swinney graduated with a MA in politics at the University of Edinburgh . He joined the SNP at a young age, and quickly rose to prominence by serving as the National Secretary from 1986 to 1992 and as Deputy Leader from 1998 to 2000. He served in the House of Commons as MP for Tayside North from 1997 to 2001. He

7380-631: Was blocked by the UK Government using a Section 35 order under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998. Swinney claimed that "the Supreme Court has said that we can't legislate in that area and we can't take forward that legislation". In July 2024, Swinney and his party contested all 57 Scottish seats for the 2024 United Kingdom general election . The SNP went into the election as the largest party at Westminster from Scotland, having won 48 out of 59 seats at

7470-693: Was divided into two posts in the second Sturgeon government as a result of the expansion of the Scottish Parliament's financial powers; he was then appointed Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in 2016, and then as Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery in 2021. On 25 May 2022, Swinney became the longest serving Deputy First Minister, surpassing the previous record which was held by Sturgeon. Swinney served as Acting Finance and Economy Secretary in addition to his position of Covid Recovery Secretary from July 2022 to March 2023. In March 2023, he announced his resignation from his senior positions in response to Sturgeon's resignation as first minister. Swinney spent

7560-523: Was elected to the inaugural Scottish Parliament at the 1999 Scottish Parliament election . After Salmond resigned the party leadership in 2000, Swinney was elected at the 2000 leadership election . He became Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament. The SNP lost one MP at the 2001 general election and eight MSPs at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election , despite the Officegate scandal unseating

7650-493: Was established during the 1930s as Marr College FP. It was originally for former pupils of Marr College, and, whilst this is no longer the case, Marr College and Marr RF continue to be closely associated and have a close affiliation. Three rugby development officers from Marr RFC work with the school frequently in order to promote rugby amongst both boys and girls attending the school. At Marr College, pupils are awarded colours to celebrate success and achievement during their time at

7740-606: Was later expelled from the party. In 2003 a former parliamentary candidate and a party activist in the Shetland Islands Brian Nugent announced that he was forming his own pro-independence party, the Scottish Party, which eventually relaunched itself as the Free Scotland Party, in response to what he perceived to be an overly pro-EU stance by the SNP. Swinney led the SNP through a poor election result at

7830-445: Was officially opened by John Swinney , Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills . The work was completed as part of a £94 million pipeline of works delivered across South Ayrshire school estates. Marr College has had a number of criticisms over the years: in 2016, a greenkeeper was fired for driving at high speeds towards a group of students, in 2022, hoax fire alarms were set seven times within

7920-466: Was persuaded to contest the leadership himself and launched a challenge against Swinney . Wilson ran a campaign attacking Swinney's proposals for party reform, which he claimed would centralise power and impoverish local branches. Wilson also challenged Swinney to a series of debates, although Swinney refused to take part. The election was yet another fight between the party's fundamentalists and gradualists , with Wilson attacking Swinney's proposal for

8010-522: Was ranked as the 70th best-performing state school in Scotland, a drop from 68th in the 2022 rankings. Despite this, Marr College outperformed other secondary schools in South Ayrshire and is regarded as the best-performing secondary school in South Ayrshire. Marr College was built and established using the money left by Charles Kerr Marr, a native of Troon who believed that people should be educated together, no matter their background and levels of wealth. The creation of Marr College has long been regarded as

8100-512: Was the last SNP election to use the delegate voting method. Future elections would be based on a one-person-one-vote postal vote system. In September 2003 he urged SNP activists to ask the public, "Do you want independence, yes or no? And then tell the Brits to get off." A spokesman for Scottish Labour condemned the Swinney's use of language and said, "There is no place in Scotland for his brand of extreme nationalism." Though retaining its two seats at

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