Laureation address: David McClure
University Medal
Presented by Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor
Friday 24 June 2022
Chancellor, it is my privilege to present David McClure for the University Medal.
Dave McClure started his professional career as an engineer, working on nuclear sites at Dounreay and Hunterston B, before being drawn to a career in teaching. Teaching mathematics in Ayr in 1975 was the start of a 45-year career teaching young people in nine schools across Scotland.
Quickly moving through principal teacher positions, he was appointed Depute Rector at Buckhaven High School in Leven in 2001. Following a difficult HMIe inspection, including one of the worst reports ever written, although Dave acting as Rector at the time received one of the few positive comments, and he was subsequently appointed Rector in 2003.
On the day of the interviews, staff were invited into the assembly hall, and when it was announced that he had been appointed, they let off party poppers, cheering and stamping their feet!
They knew they were part of something special, his clear vision and ability to bring staff with him on his journey inspired everyone. One of his colleagues told me that when he stood and addressed the staff, “they would have followed him into battle”.
The following year, a glowing HMIe report identified his leadership as the foundation on which improvements in attendance, behaviour and attainment were built. Articles in the Herald, the BBC and the Times praised his leadership, and approach to improvement across the school.
Characteristically, he attributes this turnaround at Buckhaven to the hard work and perseverance of the staff and pupils rather than himself. In 2005, however, he was invited to meet the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in recognition of his impact at the school, and then again in 2006 as one of just ten headteachers across the UK, for a one-to-one meeting to recognise his and the school’s ongoing success.
In 2013, Fife Education Services asked him to take up the post of Rector at Madras College. Beyond the rigours of developing and delivering the curriculum, one of his first challenges was supporting the relocation, and integration within the school community, of army families from Fallingbostel in Germany, who had just arrived at Leuchars.
He was heavily involved with Fife Education Services to design the new Madras College in its site at Bell Brae on the western edge of St Andrews and supporting the transition of the South Street buildings to the University, which will soon become the University’s New College.
At Madras, he developed a strong community and improved outcomes for all pupils. Attainment in qualifications improved significantly, with the school highly ranked in Scotland for achievement in five Highers. Alongside academic excellence, Dave was committed to improving outcomes for every pupil, with a curriculum where wider achievement opportunities were built-in across the school, rather than as an added element.
One of his proudest achievements was securing a very good HMIe inspection report in 2015, cited as demonstrating an ethos of learning for all, and raising attainment every year. He also reorganised the school day to safeguard the curriculum in the face of quite draconian financial cuts. Substantial and inspired solutions were required to accommodate these cuts and, as a Madras parent myself, I can testify that this kept us all on our toes, making sure we knew when school finished each day, but the breadth of curriculum and quality of teaching remains his legacy.
He was keenly involved in outreach activities at Buckhaven and Madras, supporting the First Chances project with the University. He was also a strong supporter of the University’s ID4001 module (Communication and Teaching in Science) which gives students training in communicating in classroom settings, and experience of working with school pupils – even giving lectures to students before they went out into schools.
But first and foremost, Dave was a maths teacher. He never lost his enthusiasm for his subject and loved to explore its applications. Fascinated by the pedagogy of mathematics, he had very clear ideas on the most effective ways to teach it and was even clearer when Education Scotland seemed to be diverging from the path of mathematical righteousness. His commitment to his subject remained throughout his career, teaching mathematics each week, for every one of his 45 years, into his 70s.
It would be remiss not to mention the support of his wife Liz throughout his career, from enrolling three of their five children at nursery, in order to teach maths alongside Dave, when Buckhaven’s reputation made it hard to attract teachers, to the double act at Madras, with Dave striding round the Quad dealing with non-blazer-wearing rebels, while Liz sat in the Guidance Base with those struggling to attend, supporting them through qualifications.
He maintains it was a privilege to work with the staff, pupils, communities, and partners he met in his career, managing the challenges of change while always keeping to the fore the core value of delivering a quality education in all of its aspects, to all of his pupils, in support of the community. This commitment to every single one of his pupils is what elicits comments from pupils, parents, and colleagues such as: “brilliant”, “he put his heart and soul into that place”, “would have been there forever if he could”, “he loved Madras – everything about it and everyone”, “like Superman”, “inspirational”, “an extraordinary leader”. I could have spent my entire time here reading out similar comments from people across his professional career; a clear testament to the impact he has had on so many people.
Chancellor, in recognition of his major contribution to the education of young people in St Andrews and across Scotland, and the key role he has played in the relationship between Madras College and the University, I invite you to present David McClure with the University Medal.