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Bearsden Academy
Bearsden Academy building in 2009
Address
Stockiemuir Road Bearsden , East Dunbartonshire , G61 3SU Scotland
Coordinates	55°55′39″N 4°20′51″W / 55.9274°N 4.3476°W / 55.9274; -4.3476Coordinates: 55°55′39″N 4°20′51″W / 55.9274°N 4.3476°W / 55.9274; -4.3476
Information
Type	State secondary school
Motto	Committed to excellence
Established	1911; 108 years ago (1911)
Local authority	East Dunbartonshire
Chair of Parent Council	Iain Pringle[1]
Head teacher	George Cooper[2]
Staff	c. 100[3]
Gender	Co-educational
Age	11 to 18
Enrollment	c. 1188[4]
Colour(s)	Navy, red, gold, green
Accreditation	Investors in People
Publication	The BAnner
Website	bearsdenacademy.e-dunbarton.sch.uk

Bearsden Academy is a non-denominational, state secondary school in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The school is rated^{[by whom?]} as one of the best state schools in the country.^{[citation needed]}

History

Bearsden Cross site (1911–1958)

In 1911, the school was situated on the corner of Roman Road and Drymen Road north of Bearsden railway station in the Bearsden Cross area of the town. It was originally known as New Kilpatrick Higher Grade School, it comprised both a primary school and a secondary school. The building was designed by the architectural firm James M. Monro & Sons. It opened on 17 August 1911. The first headmaster was Hugh Primrose. In 1920, the school was renamed Bearsden Academy. In 1958, with the town expanding, and becoming a burgh, a new secondary school was built on Morven Road and Bearsden Academy was moved there and the whole of the remaining building became Bearsden Primary School.^[5]

Morven Road Site (1958–2010)

From 1958 to 2010 the school was located on the south side of Morven Road in Bearsden. The old Morven Road site was redeveloped as a new housing estate, comprising detached and flatted dwellings known as Academy Grove in 2009–12. Norman McLeod was a very well known rector at the school and one of the streets in Academy Grove is named after him in his honour^[6]

Stockiemuir Road Site (2010–)

St Peter's College

The Stockiemuir Road site the academy occupies was originally a Roman Catholic seminary for the Archdiocese of Glasgow and then a teaching college. In 1874, the Archbishop of Glasgow, Charles Eyre originally established St Peter's College in Partickhill. In 1892, he decided to move it to Bearsden. The college chapel was the first to serve the local Catholic population.^[7]

With the arrival of a railway to the area, the population increased and the college chapel was expanded. In 1946, a fire destroyed the college, razing it to the ground. The decision was made by the archdiocese to abandon the site and build a new seminary in Cardross. The seminary was moved to Darleith House in Cardross and then Kilmahew House, before the new purpose-built St Peter's Seminary in Cardross was ready in 1966.^[8]

Teaching College

In 1966, to replace the seminary, a teaching college was built on the site. It was designed by the same architects as St Peter's Seminary, Cardross, the firm of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia (GKC). It was built in a U-shape, with two teaching blocks, a physical education building and five student accommodation buildings. In 1969, the complex was opened, as the Notre Dame College of Education.^[9]

In 1981, it merged with Craiglockhart College and was renamed St Andrew's College of Education. On 4 March 1998, it was registered as a category A listed building.^[10] In 1999, it joined with University of Glasgow to become the Faculty of Education of the University of Glasgow.^[11] In 2002, the teaching college was relocated and the site was declared surplus to university requirements. After negotiations between Historic Scotland and East Dunbartonshire Council, it was decided to demolish the site and built a school.^[9]

The new building was built under a public private partnership. In August 2010 the new site for Bearsden Academy opened to staff and students.

Debating

The Debating Society competes in local, Scottish, British and European competitions, and has often performed well in these events.^[12] The school has reached high standards and reached the semi-finals of the ESU Schools' MACE competition for two consecutive years (2010–2011 and 2011–2012), as well as becoming National semi-finalists in the Institute of Ideas "Debating Matters" competition, and frequently reaching the National rounds of the European Youth Parliament competition. The society has also organised hustings for the Scottish Youth Parliament candidates and even for the Regional List candidates for the 2011 Holyrood election.^{[citation needed]}

School roll

Notable alumni

• 
  Edwyn Collins of Orange Juice^[23]
  


• 
  Katherine Grainger, Olympic Gold medallist rower^[24]
  


• 
  Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand^[25]
  


• 
  David Moyes former manager of Manchester United^[26]
  

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bearsden Academy.

• Bearsden Academy's home page


• Bearsden Academy's page on Parentzone