22 05 1874        Attendance very thin, owing to markets and the approach of term

19 06 1874        A new Latin class of nine started

14 08 1874        School closed for 6 weeks holiday

02 08 1874        School opens for the new session

09 12 1874        Christmas holidays given

15 01 1875        Some cases of scarletina

26 02 1875        A girl who has been attending school has just died from scarletina after three days illness. Great terror among the pupils

March 1875       School was closed after the outbreak of scarletina

10 06 1875        School opened after an interval of thirteen weeks.  Miss Allardyce who was going to act for Miss Cormack for some time commenced duty

30 07 1875        The minds of the children somewhat distracted by thoughts of an approaching picnic at Glack

12 10 1875        Repairs going on in the schoolroom so the children meet in the Parish Church

22 10 1875        Children now meet in the schoolroom

05 11 1875        Miss Cormack resumed her teaching duties

31 12 1875        Christmas holidays given

21 01 1876        Carpenters and other labourers interrupting the work of the school considerably.  Indeed this has acted prejudicially on the school since the classroom began to be built in the month of August

28 02 1876         Pupils are seated in the classroom for the first time today.

03 03 1876         A holiday was granted to allow the painter to paint the classroom

08 05 1876         Attendance smaller than usual owing to the approach of the Whitsunday term

25 05 1877         Wartle market given at this school from time immemorial

28 10 1877         School re-opened and Miss Cormack has resigned and Miss Christine Collie acts as substitute for some time for Miss Helen Birnie, the newly elected assistant.

23 04 1878         Thoughts of the children much occupied by a concert

29 05 1878         Attendance has somewhat been interfered with by the term and “feeing” markets

08 01 1879         Many absent owing to storm

15 01 1879         Snowstorm still continuing

22 01 1879         Storm a little abated

18 02 1879         Renewal of storm

10 03 1879         Snow almost all disappeared

21 07 1879         Health of school not good,  one case of at least of scarletina.  School shut (earlier than usual)

08 09 1879         School opened (earlier than usual)

20 05 1880         Holiday for Wartle market

07 06 1880         Larger attendance than for years.  Children inclined to be noisy, necessary to inflict corporal punishment on some

10 07 1880        Inspectors report “It gives me great pleasure to report that taken as a whole, this school deserves to be ranked high among the best in the country”

15 01 1881        Attendance poor due to the severity of weather

28 01 1881        Still deep snow

11 02 1881        Another great fall of snow.  Road blocked up

11 03 1881        Still another snowfall

18 03 1881        A considerable amount of snow disappeared

08 09 1881        Children very excited, holidays given

25 10 1881         School reopened

22 01 1883         Girls beginning to take an interest in domestic economy

20 03 1883         Renewed storm during the last fortnight.  One a few children in the immediate neighbourhood could reach school

14 07 1883         Number on roll at commencement of year – 134 end of the year 119 Number enrolled 155

07 09 1883         School shut for holidays25 Nov 1884   The “term” keeping some children from school

25 12 1883         Miss Elsie Malcolm entered her duties in place of Miss Dey who resigned

05 03 1886         Very severe snowstorms – roads all blocked

26 03 1886         Many of the roads still blocked

10 06 1887         A boy showing signs of insubordination of an agrevated character had to be severly punished

11 11 1887         A boy had to be expelled for insubordination of an aggravated character

03 08 1888         Greek and Euclid well attended by the pupils studying these subjects

25 12 1889         Christmas day, good attendance – only one Episcopalian absent

17 05 1893         Holiday.  Inverurie Market

20 07 1893         Some profane language checked

15 05 1894         Inverurie Market holiday

02 08 1895         Minds of scholars much occupied with the annual picnic and a rabbit show to be held next week

10 08 1896         Some scholars absent, apparently as a result of a picnic held on Saturday

08 03 1897         97 present out of a roll of 99

23 07 1897         School to be closed tonight for a fortnight on account of whooping cough, 28 absent

24 11 1897         Market day and many pupils absent

08 04 1898         Poor attendance today, many being at church (Easter)

27 04 1989         Annual inspection 56 boys and 46 girls = 102

13 06 1898         Very bad attendance owing to a menagerie at Inverurie

24 08 1898         Very poor attendance today owing to a picnic in Fyvie – 17 absent

24 05 1899         Market Day in Inverurie and 50% boys absent

24 07 1899         Attendance interrupted by turnip hewing especially among the higher boys

02 08 1899         Class V commenced reading book for a second time

08 08 1899         Fyvie show day and several boys absent

09 08 1899         Oldmeldrum games day and a very poor attendance in both rooms

14 08 1899         Very good attendance being picnic week

10 10 1899         Senior room has been refloored during the holidays and teachers desk – introduced in 1863 – has been repaired

21 11 1899         Bad attendance in senior room today owing to annual market at Inverurie

25 04 1900        “ new floor in the main room adds both in appearance and safety, but the walls, roof and doors of porch and main room are disreputable “ – Inspectors report

23 05 1900         Inverurie Feeing market half day in school with three fourths of boys absent

06 07 1900         Big circus at Inverurie and very bad attendance as a consequence

17 12 1901         Owing to wintry weather, school now closed at 3:30 instead of 4, with one half hour for dinner

28 03 1902         Test examination on paper today

24 04 1902         Commenced new classes in Latin and German

25 06 1902         School closed for two days for Coronation holidays

20 05 1903         School closed under medical authority for epidemic of whooping cough and Mumps

10 06 1903         School reopened

26 11 1903         to 3^rd December 1903.  School not opened because of a severe snowstorm

17 08 1904         Meldrum picnic day and nearly 50% absent in the senior room

14 04 1905         Report “The attention of the managers is directed to the unsatisfactory seating accommodation of the infant classes.  Modern equipment is urgently needed.  In view of the large number of pupils attending this school and of the further very desirable that the managers should take advantage of the General Aid Grant and make an addition to staff.

15 05 1905         Miss Morrison the newley appointed extra teaching assistant was introduced by the Chairman of the School Board

02 06 1905         Two day holiday to allow the senior room to be divided

22 06 1905         123 on roll

06 06 1905         Commenced work in three rooms today

21 11 1905         Many of the bigger boys at Inverurie Market

18 04 1906         Weather very cold again and fires restarted in two rooms

05 05 1906         Inspectors report “The modern desks now supplied are a great improvement.  There is still no water supply”

14 07l1906         One senior pupil left for Grammer School

21 07 1906         One senior pupil left for Gordons College

18 03 1907         Four pupils over 14 years of age have left

08 04 1907         Several families being kept from school owing to “spotted fever” scare in the parish

15 04 1907         Fires in school stopped for season

13 05 1907         Reported in the school board one pupil who has not attended for six weeks and whose parents refuse to let her come

18 06 1907         A pupil aged 13, who has been absent for nearly 3 months and whose father has just been fined 22/6 (about two weeks wages) on that account, returned today

09 10 1907         Fires on today

07 12 1907         Rather better attendance since hot dinners commenced

17 12 1907         Very dull day and impossible to have sewing

25 12 1907         Christmas Day and several pupils absent

02 03 1908         Hot dinners to be continued another week owing to very bad weather

06 03 1908         Last day of hot dinners

24 03 1908         School closed owing to outbreak of scarlet fever

20 04 1908         School reopened

05 07 1908         One senior pupil left for Inverurie Higher grade school

13 07 1908         Received results of Dick Bequest Exam.  Two passed in German and three in Botany

19 08 1908         Attendance not so good this week the annual picnic being past

08 03 1909         A perfect blizzard, roads all blocked and school closed for a week

13 12 1909         123 on roll

20 05 1910         School closed on account of funeral of King Edward VII

16 06 1910         133 on roll

22 11 1910         Hot dinners started for the winter

27 04 1911         School fires stopped for season

29 05 1911         Extract from inspectors report “ The building requires some improvements.  Ventilation is not satisfactory.  The windows are small and the porch accommodation is very small.  The old desks should be removed.  The school is not kept as clean as it should be.  The offices should be provided with pails

16 06 1911         School closes for the Coronation of King George V for a week

12 07 1911         Senior room reseated with new dual desks

05 02 1912         Roads blocked.  Pupils will be kept for hot dinners and no opening will be marked.  Ink frozen in inkwells at dinner time. Midday

25 07 1913         Got a new piano for the school today cost £18

2010t 1913         Floor very dirty after the farm servants dance

26 06 1914         128 on roll

07 02 1917         No sewing  owing to the morning being too cold

29 06 1923         Miss Elsie Malcolm leaves today under the age limit, after close on 40 years service in the school           

School register extracts from 'History of the Parish of Daviot'

by George H. Sinclair

(by kind permission of Waverley Press (Aberdeen) Ltd)

Archive photographs -

Maureen Ingram, Jack Philip and Jim Gray

1897

Early 1900's

1925

1931

1935

Wartime Daviot

Infants 1955

Middle class 1955

Seniors 1955

Infants 1958

Middle Class 1958

Seniors 1958

Infants 1961

Middle Class 1961

Seniors 1961

Infants 1962

Middle Class 1962

Seniors 1962

Infants 1968

Middle Class 1968