An Aberdeenshire Depute Headteacher has been awarded a coveted University of Aberdeen leadership award.
Olwen Fraser, Depute head at Meldrum Academy, was presented with the award by University of Aberdeen Director of Leadership Programmes Neil McLennan and Aberdeenshire Council's Head of Education Vincent Docherty on Monday (December 17).
The award comes after Olwen was nominated by her fellow students and approved by leadership staff at the university.
Olwen has completed her Into Headship programme, a postgraduate certificate course for aspiring head teachers. The course contains theoretical knowledge in the Developing as a Strategic Leader module as well as practice-based experiential learning in Leading Strategic Change. The course is delivered by University of Aberdeen in partnership with local authorities and the Scottish College for Educational Leadership. Olwen is now progressing her studies to pursue a full Masters in Educational Leadership at University of Aberdeen.
Olwen commented: "I am really enjoying my leadership studies and it’s great to gain recognition in this way, particularly from my peers who are also working very hard. It has been a very rewarding challenge so far and it’s really helpful in terms of applying some of the theory in my day-to-day work at Meldrum Academy."
Neil McLennan said: "Good leaders spend most of their time praising the work of their teams. This is a good chance to take some time to reward those leaders in our schools. They do a remarkable job every day. Olwen was the unanimous choice amongst her educational leader peers – it is mark of the high esteem she is held in."
Vincent Docherty added: " Olwen is a real credit to Meldrum Academy and Aberdeenshire Council as a whole, and I’m pleased to have this opportunity to offer her my personal thanks. Going above and beyond to provide the best possible service is part of the day job for so many of our head teachers and deputes across Aberdeenshire, and it is always fantastic to see colleagues gaining the recognition they so deserve."
Councillor Gillian Owen, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee summed up by saying: “It’s fantastic to see colleagues across the council adopting a lifelong approach to learning, enriching the services we provide and enhancing the experiences of school pupils across Aberdeenshire. We’re very proud of what Olwen has achieved and we know she is undoubtedly an inspiration to others in her field.”