Kilgraston School

Kilgraston's earliest records date back to the 13th century where it was called Gilgryston. John Grant, the eldest son of Patrick Grant of Glenlochy, in Strath Spey, Inverness-shire, and whose principal wealth was made in Jamaica, was for several years a member of the Assembly there, becoming an assistant Judge of Jamaica's Supreme Court, and eventually succeeded Thomas French as Chief Justice of that island in January 1783, which office he held until 1790. Also, in 1783, he was confirmed as an armiger by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Grant purchased, towards the end of the 18th century, from the Murray and Craigie families, the contiguous estates of Kilgraston and Pitcaithly, situated in the east end of the beautiful and rich valley of Strath Earn, and extending over part of the Ochil Hills. He died issueless at Edinburgh on 29 March 1793, and is buried under a marble tablet in St Cuthbert's Churchyard. He was succeeded in his estates by his brother Francis (d. 1819, who built the mansion. The mansion was used as a private home until World War I during which it was used as a hospital.

In 1930 the house and grounds were purchased by the Society of the Sacred Heart and opened as a school with 40 boarders. The Society ran the school as a charitable trust until 2000 when it became a private school.[http://www.kilgraston.com/news/about-kilgraston/history/ History] It briefly participated in the Assisted Places Scheme during the 1990s until its abolishment.{{cite hansard | house=House of Commons |title=Assisted Places Scheme | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1995/jul/13/assisted-places-scheme|column_start=729 |column_end=737W | date = 13 July 1995 }} In 2003, it absorbed the nearby all-girls Butterstone Prep School due to the latter's financial difficulties. Its girls were transferred 22 miles to Kilgraston and one of the boarding houses was named Butterstone after the school.

Capital investments included the opening of a 25m indoor swimming pool complex and upgrades to the equestrian centre (Kilgraston was the only school in Scotland with equestrian facilities on campus) including a 60m x 40m floodlit arena and an international sized all-weather floodlit hockey pitch. Other developments had been a new theatre with retractable seating for 150, a bistro style dining room, sports pavilion as well as an upgrade of the residential facilities. As a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, there were exchange and twinning programmes available for girls to interact with fellow students from sister schools around the world. Sixth Form pupils had access to their own study centre with individual work stations. In 2014, Professor Yellowlees, Chair of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Vice President and Head of the School of Science and Engineering at Edinburgh University, formally opened Kilgraston's £1 million Science Centre.

In January 2012, Kilgraston was named "Independent School of the Year" ahead of 27 other independent schools across Britain at the Independent School Awards. It was also nominated for the Outstanding Strategic Initiative Award in recognition of the changes the school had made to achieve 55% growth in the last five years and received the Outstanding Financial Initiative prize for its £2m investment in facilities and the introduction of a number of Sports Academies.{{cite news|title=Award-winning Perthshire school sees girls boarding bucking trend and booming |url=http://www.gsa.uk.com/news/award-winning-perthshire-school-sees-girls-boardin/ |publisher=gsa.uk.com |date=19 January 2012 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211112622/http://www.gsa.uk.com/news/award-winning-perthshire-school-sees-girls-boardin/ |archive-date=11 February 2012 }}

In June 2023, it was announced that Kilgraston would be permanently closing at the end of the 2022–2023 academic year.{{Cite news |date=2023-06-02 |title='Heartbreaking decision' to close Perthshire boarding school |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-65757895 |access-date=2023-06-05}} Within 4 days of this announcement £1.2 million had been pledged to Kilgraston from current and former parents, alumnae and friends of the school with a goal of Kilgraston remaining open.{{Cite web |last=Henderson |first=Neil |date=2023-06-05 |title=Kilgraston could be saved as £1.2m raised for closure-threatened Perthshire school |url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/perth-kinross/4449976/kilgraston-school-fundraiser/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=The Courier |language=en-GB}} 6 days after the closure announcement, Kilgraston was reported to be in final talks with a long term investor, Achieve Education Limited.{{Cite web |last=Watson |first=Poppy |date=2023-06-06 |title=Perthshire boarding school set to be saved from closure |url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/perth-kinross/4452442/kilgraston-school-saved-closure/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The Courier |language=en-GB}}

In August 2024, it was announced that Kilgraston would close immediately due to a sale falling through with Achieve Education Limited.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98436yj7l0o |title=Perthshire boarding school closes after sale falls through |work=BBC News |date=13 August 2024 |access-date=15 August 2024 |language=en}}

In August 2023, 50% of grades at AH were A grades against a national average of 33.7% and 76.5% of grades were A-B against a national average of 59.7%. At Higher level, 52% of pupils achieved a grade A and 79% achieved a grade A-B. Also in 2023, 80% of girls in 2023 were accepted into their choice of university.{{cite web | url=https://www.kilgraston.com/academic/academic-success/ | title=Academic Success }}

Boarding was provided to girls aged 8 and above. Approximately half of pupils were boarders, most of whom had boarded on weekdays or on flexible arrangements. The girls resided in three boarding houses: Butterstone and Austin (Junior Years),{{Cite web |url=http://www.kilgraston.com/news/boarding/prep-boarding/ |title=Prep Boarding |access-date=15 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427052300/http://www.kilgraston.com/news/boarding/prep-boarding/ |archive-date=27 April 2012 |url-status=dead }} Mater (Senior School)[http://www.kilgraston.com/news/boarding/senior-boarding/ Senior School Boarding] and Barat or Swinton (Sixth Form).[http://www.kilgraston.com/news/boarding/sixth-form-boarding/ Sixth Form Boarding] Senior School and Sixth Form boarders had their own bedrooms.

• Louise Baxter, former Scotland international hockey player and Head of PE{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/schools-hockey-katie-robertson-and-louise-baxter-join-forces-1-2775422 |title=Schools hockey: Katie Robertson and Louise Baxter join forces |work=The Scotsman |publisher=Johnston Press |date=5 February 2013|access-date=5 April 2015}}
• Mairi Gougeon, politician{{cite news|title=MSPs four times as likely to have been educated at private school|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/msps-four-times-as-likely-to-have-been-educated-at-private-school-nvnh0ck65|work=The Times|date=24 May 2021}}

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• Burke, John, Esq., A Genealogical History of The Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank, London, 1835, volume II, p. 613.
• Smith, John, & Balfour Paul, Sir James, editor, Monumental Inscriptions in St. Cuthbert's Churchyard, Edinburgh, Scottish Record Society, Edinburgh, 1915, p. 13.

{{commons category|Kilgraston School}}

• {{Official website|name=School Website}}
• [http://www.isc.co.uk/schools/scotland/perthshire/perth/kilgraston-school Profile] on the Independent Schools Council website
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111114005445/http://www.mydaughter.co.uk/schools-directory/kilgraston-school/ Profile] on MyDaughter
• [https://archive.today/20121223170715/http://www.scottishschoolsonline.gov.uk/schools/kilgrastonschoolperthkinross.asp Profile] on Scottish Schools Online
• [http://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/127453/kilgraston-school Profile] on The Good Schools Guide
• 2011 HMIE Inspection [http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/KilgrastonSchoolIns20110321_tcm4-703695.pdf Report]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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Category:Sacred Heart schools

Category:Defunct private schools in Scotland

Category:Defunct boarding schools in Scotland

Category:Defunct girls' schools in Scotland

Category:Defunct schools in Perth and Kinross

Category:Girls' schools in Perth and Kinross

Category:Category A listed buildings in Perth and Kinross

Category:Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association

Category:Educational institutions established in 1930

Category:1930 establishments in Scotland

Category:Bridge of Earn