Uniform and the School Badge

By I. G. Macdonald.

On the 11^th November 1957, the Head Master, Iain M. Murray MA (Edinburgh) petitioned Sir Thomas Learney (Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Baron of Learney, Kinnairdy and Yeochrie, Doctor of Laws, Advocate, Lord Lyon King of Arms), that the name Portree High School, which he and the Education Committee of the County of Inverness had chosen, be accepted for Portree’s Secondary School. The name met with the approval of the Lord Lyon as the school had “a persistent tradition with regard to the teaching of the Arts, Literature and Mathematics at an advanced level”. It also possessed “modern and technical departments and has for many years fulfilled the function of both a day and boarding school with a roll of 500 pupils coming from the whole of Skye and the other Inverness-shire islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides and from  parts of the western seaboard of the Inverness-shire mainland”.

The School Badge, designed by a pupil, David Forsyth was granted an entry “On the 86^th page of the XLIst Volume of the Public Register of all Arms and Bearings in Scotland”. It’s description is given as: “Azure, within a double chaplet nowed of four Celtic knots Argent, in a base surmounted by a dolphin hauriant Or, a Lymphad under sail and flagged of the third, the sail charged with an eagle displaying gules, and in an escrol below the same, this motto EARBAM.”

This was a proud day for the school and the motto ‘Let me Trust’ was appropriate. The badge was prominently displayed on the breast pocket of the newly instituted maroon blazers. A sky blue shirt or blouse, grey trousers or skirt and a maroon tie completed the uniform. It very soon became accepted by both primary and secondary pupils and was worn with a degree of pride well into the late 1980s and early 1990s when most schools had long rejected uniforms.

In Skye’s inclement weather however, the blazer was not ideal and many parents felt that it became too expensive although others remained strongly in favour. Following opinion sought from parents and pupils by Head Master David Meek in 1995 the wearing of the blazer ceased for all but 12 prefects. In the year 2000 the Senior Management Team, under Head Teacher, John Howieson, sought to reinstate it. By this time many schools had seen the merits of a uniform and had had some success in its reintroduction. All of the sixth year pupils are encouraged to were blazers which are leased to them. Once again some Portree High School pupils could wear the badge with pride.

IGM 2007