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Highland Heroes 2025: School shortlist revealed – VOTE NOW!





VOTE for your school of the year by midnight on Monday, February 10!

St Clement’s Primary School, Dingwall

Highland Heroes 2025 school of the year nominee St Clement's Primary School, Dingwall.
Highland Heroes 2025 school of the year nominee St Clement's Primary School, Dingwall.

St Clement’s Primary School, Dingwall has been praised for making a real difference to the lives of its pupils.

The school, which teaches children with additional support needs (ASN), has a close bond with not only its pupils but also their families and the local community.

Fundraising has been undertaken by staff and parents to upgrade the playground. Many pupils took part in fun runs, bucket collections and other fundraisers.

A nomination said: “The children, staff and families are amazing. This is so much more

than a school, it’s a community and a place that changes lives.”

Head teacher, Colin Masterson, was delighted the school had been shortlisted and praised the pupils, families, the community and staff for all working together: “I am so pleased that someone has nominated us for Highland Heroes, but we are only doing our job. The real heroes are the pupils, parents and the community who support us.

“What makes St Clement’s special in my opinion is the real community support around the school. Everyone has taken St Clement’s into their hearts and people work tirelessly to raise funds and support us; from Ross County Football Club to the pensioners who spend their week making kindlers to sell to raise funds for us.

“There is a sense of family at school, with all the staff putting the pupils at the centre of everything we do, and to see the joy in the pupils’ faces when they experience new things or succeed at completing a new or challenging task makes it all worthwhile.”

Inverness High School

Highland Heroes 2025 school of the year nominee Inverness High School.
Highland Heroes 2025 school of the year nominee Inverness High School.

Pupils are absolutely at the heart of Inverness High School and every single child receives whatever support they need to ensure their experience is a positive one, according to a nomination for Heroes’ school of the year.

A nomination said: “This school has amazing facilities to suit the very diverse needs of the children from the area. They offer unmeasurable amounts of support catered directly to

the individual child. The staff are approachable, genuine and non-judgemental.”

Head teacher, Vikki Forrester, said: “We’re absolutely delighted, we’re so proud to be acknowledged in the shortlist for school of the year. Everything about Inverness High School is unique; the pupils, the building and the character. The pupils have a real sense of community and the staff always go the extra mile to support them. The focus is very much on the wellbeing of the pupils and making them feel they belong. It’s like no other place.

Vikki added: “The pupils are very respectful and honest, it makes staff want to go the extra mile for them. Pupils work so hard and the staff work tirelessly to support them. Staff are willing to put on events to raise money to provide pupils with a range of different opportunities ‒ we have an open afternoon event for ex-pupils ‒ and the pupils are keen to be involved as they are so proud of their school. Every member of staff is willing to go above and beyond because they genuinely care about the pupils and want the best outcomes for them.”

Glen Urquhart High School, Drumnadrochit

Highland Heroes 2025 school of the year nominee Glen Urquhart High School, Drumnadrochit.
Highland Heroes 2025 school of the year nominee Glen Urquhart High School, Drumnadrochit.

A special relationship fostered between school, pupils, families and community has been highlighted among the reasons Glen Urquhart High School is nominated for school of the year.

Pupils are at the fore of school decision-making, running community events for senior citizens and former staff/pupils, as well as manning school receptions, writing school newsletters and magazines, supporting primary transition events and volunteering locally, recapturing the spirit of Glen Urquhart and Strathglass.

A nomination said: “I firmly believe no secondary school is doing more to support pupils. Since Mr van Loon took over there has been a massive influx in community and partnership working to support and ensure pupils are at the forefront of every decision.”

A nomination also highlighted steps taken to improve the experience for all, providing free school clothing, subsidising activities, embedding community groups into extra-curricular offerings, sending pupils on international culture trips, to UK wide debating and providing wellbeing days.

Head teacher, Tjeerd van Loon, a former Glen Urquhart pupil, was proud everyone’s efforts had been recognised: “It’s exceptionally rewarding to work with such a dedicated management team and to realise people are aware of what we’re trying to achieve for children. It’s a huge privilege to be shortlisted.”

“This isn’t just about a school; this is about parents/carers and families working cross-generationally, linking in local businesses and the third sector to develop our children.”

“This area deserves recognition as our collective focus reaches beyond the classroom and thinking about today; it’s about the preparation of our children as global citizens with broad horizons for tomorrow.”

RSE is sponsoring the school of the year award.

RSE chief executive officer, Stephen Slessor, said: “RSE is proud to support Highland Heroes 2025 as the sponsor of the school of the year award. We believe in the importance of recognising the heroes within our local communities and celebrating the excellent work that they do, and so we are delighted to show our support for this event.

“By continuing our sponsorship of this award category over the past couple of years, we are delighted to highlight the fantastic contributions of Highland schools, which play a vital role in the education and development of young people in the area. At RSE, we recognise the value in investing in talent from an early age and hope to inspire the next generation of young people into launching their career within the water industry.

“Voting in the various Highland Heroes award categories, including school of the year, is now open! We encourage everyone to vote for a local school that works hard to ensure their students receive the best possible education and support, and truly deserves the recognition of this award.”


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