The 'Aberdeen Colleges of Education' Archive

The ‘Aberdeen Colleges of Education’ is actually a colloquial term for the many different institutions that provided teacher training between 1874 and 2001. First of all there were two denominational colleges, Aberdeen Church of Scotland Training College (founded in 1874) and Aberdeen Free Church of Scotland Training College (founded in 1875). Then in 1907 the church colleges were disbanded and the secular Aberdeen Provincial Training Centre was formed. The Centre changed name in 1959 to become the Aberdeen College of Education and then again in 1987 to the Northern College of Education following the merger with Dundee College of Education. The latest change occurred when the College merged with the University of Aberdeen in 2001 to become the Faculty (now School) of Education. The archive also includes records from the Woolmanhill Emergency Physical Training Centre (formerly the Dunfermline College of Hygiene and Physical Education) and the Practising/Demonstration Schools run by the churches and later by the Colleges.

The Catalogue to the material is available

The College archives are very rich and include:

• administrative records including minutes, papers of College management staff, personnel records, financial records, estate records and architectural plans.
• student records including enrolment registers, assessment records, yearbooks and class photographs.
• school pupil records including admission registers and teacher log-books.

The Church Colleges
There are very detailed student records including Enrolment Registers, Attendance Registers and Records of Assessment.

The Practising - Demonstration Schools
There are Admissions Registers from 1909-1968, Registers of Lefts from 1925-1970 and Teacher Log-Books from 1888-1970.

Woolmanhill Emergency Physical Training Centre
There are student records, plans and photographs.

Aberdeen Provincial Training Centre - Aberdeen College of Education - Northern College of Education
There are very detailed student records from 1907-1959 including Registers of Students, Student Photographic Albums, Training Records, Yearbooks and class photographs. The student records from 1959 are still of current use and held by the School of Education. From 1959 onwards a highlight are the very detailed administrative and management records including the papers of Principal James Scotland (1961-1983).

Related Material
The University Archives has also recently received some other related material -

• School Log book, Free East Church School, St Andrew Street 1863-1874. (MS 3812)
• Aberdeen Church of Scotland Training College staff and student photographs, 1881-1893 class groups. (MS 3793)
• Aberdeen Church of Scotland Training College Lecture Notes and Report Book, 1900-1904. (MS 3794)
• Aberdeen Provincial Training Centre Lecture Notes, 1910. (MS 3798)