Williamwood High School
Encyclopedia
Williamwood High School, located in Busby, East Renfrewshire
, is a non denominational state school. It has a school roll of over 1600 pupils and was recently built, replacing the old school on Seres road in Williamwood. The new school was officially opened on 11 December 2006 by the then First Minister of Scotland
, Jack McConnell
MSP.
The school achieves excellently in all Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
inspections and always rates very highly in the Scottish league table
s. The school also achieves well in extra curricular activities including sports, where the school has received many national and international accolades and awards. The school management say that the success of Williamwood is down to the hard work and dedication not only of the staff, but of the pupils in the school.
scheme by the private company HBGhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6170161.stm. Once built, they would take control of the school ensuring it was well maintained, replacing any broken fixtures, and ensuring the running of the school building.
In August 2006 the new £29 million school opened. It features over 69 classrooms, each fitted with interactive whiteboards, new sports facilities including astroturf
pitches and running track, a video editing suite (running Apple Computer
Final Cut Pro
software), drama
studios and an industry standard recording studio. Built around a central "Street" area, with separate "Gallery Café" reserved for 6th years. The new School was officially opened by The Right Honourable Jack McConnell
MSP
in December. It was remarked that the new school was the "best equipped high school in Britain".
The unoccupied former building was damaged by fire in February 2007. By March 2007 it was completely demolished to make way for development of other building projects. Current headteacher John Fitzpatrick was awarded the OBE in 2011 for services to education, and he oversees 6 deputes, (previously 7 but 6 as of August 2011 due to the seventh moving to Pupil support).
Busby, East Renfrewshire
Busby is a village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Busby's close proximity to Glasgow effectively makes it a suburb of the city, though remains administratively separate. It lies on the White Cart Water south of Glasgow City Centre.-History:...
, is a non denominational state school. It has a school roll of over 1600 pupils and was recently built, replacing the old school on Seres road in Williamwood. The new school was officially opened on 11 December 2006 by the then First Minister of Scotland
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
, Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
MSP.
The school achieves excellently in all Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for the inspection of public and independent, primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges, community learning, Local Authority Education Departments and teacher...
inspections and always rates very highly in the Scottish league table
League table
A league table, standings, ranking chart, or ladder is a chart or list which compares sports teams, institutions, nations or companies by ranking them in order of ability or achievement. A league table may list several related statistics, but they are generally sorted by the primary one that...
s. The school also achieves well in extra curricular activities including sports, where the school has received many national and international accolades and awards. The school management say that the success of Williamwood is down to the hard work and dedication not only of the staff, but of the pupils in the school.
Old and new
The older building, built in the 1930s, was becoming old and impractical. Several other schools in the area such as Netherlee Primary School were modernised around it, with the original building remaining untouched. Over time various extensions and additions, including new PE facilities and exterior Portakabin buildings as extra classrooms, were added. It was announced in 2003/2004 that a new school would be built under the PPPPublic-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
scheme by the private company HBGhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6170161.stm. Once built, they would take control of the school ensuring it was well maintained, replacing any broken fixtures, and ensuring the running of the school building.
In August 2006 the new £29 million school opened. It features over 69 classrooms, each fitted with interactive whiteboards, new sports facilities including astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
pitches and running track, a video editing suite (running Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
software), drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
studios and an industry standard recording studio. Built around a central "Street" area, with separate "Gallery Café" reserved for 6th years. The new School was officially opened by The Right Honourable Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
in December. It was remarked that the new school was the "best equipped high school in Britain".
The unoccupied former building was damaged by fire in February 2007. By March 2007 it was completely demolished to make way for development of other building projects. Current headteacher John Fitzpatrick was awarded the OBE in 2011 for services to education, and he oversees 6 deputes, (previously 7 but 6 as of August 2011 due to the seventh moving to Pupil support).
Notable former pupils
- Brian DougansBrian DougansBrian Dougans is one half of the British electronica group, The Future Sound of London.He is a "man of many thoughts and few words" almost always letting Cobain take the lead in interviews with them both...
, musician - Iain FlanniganIain FlanniganIain Flannigan is a Scottish professional footballer currently playing for Partick Thistle in the Scottish First Division.He made his debut as a first-half substitute in Kilmarnock's 2–0 defeat to Hamilton Academical in the 3rd round of the Scottish League Cup on 2007-09-25 and made his Scottish...
, professional footballer currently playing for Partick Thistle F.C.Partick Thistle F.C.Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908... - Richard LochheadRichard LochheadRichard Neilson Lochhead is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Moray.-Background and early career:...
, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the EnvironmentCabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the EnvironmentThe Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is a position in the Scottish Government cabinet responsible for the Environment and Rural Affairs department. The Cabinet Secretary responsibilities include agriculture, fisheries, environment as well as land reform and sustainable...
and Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
MSPMember of the Scottish ParliamentMember of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
for MorayMorayMoray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :... - Ross LyonsRoss LyonsRoss Thomas Lyons is a Scottish cricket player. He is a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler.He made his debut for the Scottish national team on 26 August 2005 in a totesport league match against Derbyshire...
, Scotland international cricketer - Stuart McCaffreyStuart McCaffreyStuart McCaffrey is a Scottish professional football defender, playing for Scottish club Greenock Morton.-Playing career:...
, St Johnstone F.C.St Johnstone F.C.St. Johnstone F.C. is a professional football club based in Perth, Scotland. Although it is officially recorded as being formed in 1884, the club did not play its first game until February 1885. The club's home since 1989 has been McDiarmid Park....
footballer - David McVicarDavid McVicarDavid McVicar is a Scottish opera and theatre director. He attended Netherlee Primary School and then Williamwood High School. He studied as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 1989...
, Opera Director - Euan MurrayEuan MurrayEuan Murray is a Scottish rugby union footballer, formerly playing for Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership competition before joining Newcastle Falcons. He has also played for the Scotland national team. He was a part of their 2007 Six Nations squad, and scored a try in their final game...
, British Lions and ScotlandScotland national rugby union teamThe Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
international rugby player - Derek Birrel, founder of One RecordsOne RecordsOne Records may refer to:*One Records , a record label based in Scotland*One Records , a record label based in Serbia...
Live Manager Primal ScreamPrimal ScreamPrimal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney... - Brian RobertsonBrian RobertsonBrian "Robbo" David Robertson is a Scottish rock guitarist, best known for his work with Thin Lizzy and Motörhead.-Early life:...
, lead guitarist in Thin LizzyThin LizzyThin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
and Motörhead - Qasim SheikhQasim SheikhMohammad Qasim Sheikh is a Scottish cricketer.A left-handed batsman, he made his debut for Scotland in a game against the Netherlands in the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup...
, Scotland international cricketer - David WeatherstonDavid WeatherstonDavid Weatherston is a Scottish professional footballer currently playing with Falkirk. He is a forward, who likes to break quickly from wide midfield areas, using his fast pace.-Queen's Park:...
, Falkirk F.C footballer - Alexa May, Adult movie actress
- Paul Gillon, music Consultant on Sliding DoorsSliding DoorsSliding Doors is a 1998 British-American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, and featured John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Virginia McKenna. The music was composed by David Hirschfelder...
and The Jackal staring Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
and Richard GereRichard GereRichard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
. He has also worked with BjorkBjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Damien RiceDamien RiceDamien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, David ArnoldDavid ArnoldDavid Arnold is an English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the television series Little Britain.-Film and television career:...
, Skunk AnansieSkunk AnansieSkunk Anansie is an English rock band whose members include Skin , Cass , Ace and Mark Richardson .Skunk Anansie formed in March 1994, disbanded in 2001 and reformed in 2009...
, Acid Jazz RecordsAcid Jazz RecordsAcid Jazz is a record label based in east London. It takes its name from acid jazz, a genre of jazz music. Alternative version states that the genre itself was named after the record label...
, The ShamenThe ShamenThe Shamen were an experimental electronic music band, from 1985–1999, initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act. The founding members are Colin Angus , Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie...
, etc - Calum Blair, Adult photographer
External links
- Official School website containing up to the date news and the brand new school podcast - Williamwood Radio.
- BBC league tables site for Williamwood High School
- Williamwood High School's page on Scottish Schools Online
- Scotlands first five star school