Free Kelsae High - an experiment in independence

On 22 February 2007, Kelso High School declared its independence from Britain, Scotland, Scottish Borders Council and the town of Kelso itself. Pupils read out a ‘Declaration of Independence’ which they had written for the event. They designed a flag, wrote a national anthem, devised a school dance, and adopted a new currency, the Kelso Bawbee.

The Declaration of Independence was followed by a month of debate and discussion, culminating in a major debate and whole-school referendum on 15 March 2007 on the question of whether the State of Free Kelso High should remain independent.

The activity developed from a coincidence of two events:

• a plan, originating within the school’s History Department, to mark the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union in 2007 with a whole-school debate
• the school’s success in being selected as the focus for BBC Radio Scotland’s Soundtown project in 2006-7, and in that context the encouragement given by the BBC project, in partnership with the headteacher and other members of the school community, to a number of imaginative activities; ‘Free Kelsae High’ was one of these activities, remarkable for its citizenship content, its scope and the enthusiasm it generated within the school.

The support of the headteacher, described in project press releases as the ‘founding father of the new nation’, and the backing of Scottish Borders Council were crucial in negotiating a potentially controversial activity, and developing an activity which successfully engaged the interest and involvement of pupils and staff.

Read the BBC press release: Passport to Kelso.