An Aberdeenshire school has been left saddened following the tragic death of one of its pupils during the festive break.
Support is currently being offered to the community by Alford Academy, with the heartbreaking news shared with parents and carers on Monday following the return of pupils to school for the new term.
In a letter sent to those connected to the school, headteacher Angela Wotherspoon wrote: “I am writing today to share some very sad news. We have been informed that a current Alford Academy pupil has died last Thursday, January 2, 2025.
“As I know you will appreciate, this is a very difficult time for his family, friends and the whole school community. We will be working closely with our partners to ensure we are able to offer appropriate support to everyone.
“If you have concerns or are seeking support please contact the school office on 019755 20430 or email alford.aca@aberdeenshire.gov.uk and we will do our best to get back to you as quickly as we can.”
Alford Academy has pushed back its prelims for pupils in S4-S6 by a week following the tragic news and amid this week’s adverse weather conditions.
The letter continued: “We have taken the decision to postpone this year’s prelims for S4-S6 pupils by one week. The new dates for study leave and prelim exams (S4-S6) are now from Tuesday, January 14 2025 to Wednesday, January 29, 2025 (inclusive).
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“Exams will take place on the same days of the week (plus one week) and the times and the rooms will remain the same. This was not an easy decision to make but in light of this sad news and the adverse weather, we think postponing the exams is the right thing to do.
“This means that all pupils S1-S6 will be expected in school, weather and transport permitting, for the rest of this week and on Monday, January 13 (please note as per the Horizons schedule S5/6 pupils are not required to attend school tomorrow Tuesday, January 7). “