From primary school 'hell' to high school 'heaven'

As you will have read elsewhere, I was very unhappy at primary school, especially at George Watson's College. Fortunately, I was taken away from that school and went to Dalkeith High School instead. Strangely enough - in a way - in had nothing to do with me (and my unhappiness), it was all to do with my older brother, Donald, or more precisely my parents hopes for his future.

Watson's made a claim that something like 98% of their final year students who applied to university were successful. It was a very good promotional claim. What prospective customers probably did not know was that there was another 'promotion' - a set of exams by that name that determined whether or not pupils entering their final senior years would have a chance of gaining university entrance.

In those days, the 1950s/60s, you had to have a 'Higher' entrance exam pass in a language (other than English) t gain admittance to university. At the end of year 3 of senior school, all pupils sat their 'promotion' exams and Donald failed French. As a result, he failed to make it into 4 'U' - the university form - and was assigned to 4 'N' which meant he could not take a language - and therefore he was destined not to qualify for university.

My father was furious and went to see Dr Ian Macintosh, the headmaster (who was about to become headmaster of Fettes College where one of the pupils in his charge was the future PM, Tony Blair), to insist that Donald be given the chance to get to university. Dr Macintosh was not to be moved. He told my father that Donald was good at Mathematics and - with his Watsonian tie - he would have a first rate career in banking or insurance - and be much happier in life as Donald was not 'cut out' for university. 

My father's reaction as to say he that he was not prepared to pay fees to a school that was not going to afford his son the opportunity to try for university entrance. He would now withdraw his sons, both Donald and Angus, from Watson's and send them to the local state high school.

The 'old' DHS in 2007, abandoned since 2003 - a sad sight - and now demolished

And so in the autumn of 1957 I went to Dalkeith High School - although there was a rumour among my old classmates at Watson's, related to me by one of them when we met at Edinburgh University many years later, that I had been expelled from Watson's. 'We all felt bad about it, and somewhat ashamed,' I as told, 'Rattray really had it in for you - and we should have supported you instead of 'enjoying' your discomfort.' 

As for Dr Macintosh's assessment: Donald was able to take French at Dalkeith HS and passed his 'Higher' French and gained an MA and BD from Edinburgh University, a Masters from Columbia University, New York, and a Doctorate from Richmond University, Virginia.

And I escaped the tyranny of Watson's! Was DHS 'heaven'? Well, perhaps not, but all things are relative - and compared to my years at Watson's my years at Dalkeith High were just so much better.