Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School is a secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland.[2] The school was founded in 1576 by royal charter of King James VI and is situated on Glasgow Road.[3] The school is recognised as one of Scotland's oldest schools with an established history.[3]
| Paisley Grammar School | |
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| Address | |
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Glasgow Road , , PA1 3RP Scotland | |
| Coordinates | 55.8463°N 4.4115°W |
| Information | |
| Established | 1586 |
| Local authority | Renfrewshire Council |
| Head Teacher | Janice Levens[1] |
| Staff | 100 Full-time staff |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrolment | 1,400 |
| Houses | Mull, Skye and Iona |
| Colour(s) | |
| Publication | The Grammarian |
| Website | http://www.paisleygrammar.com |
The present school building (which was called the 'Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy' due to a bequest by the former Member of Parliament for Paisley, William B. Barbour, and until recently was the school's proper title) was opened in 1898 by Lord Balfour of Burleigh, then Secretary of State for Scotland.[4]
The school was fee paying until the mid-1960s and in 1986, when threatened with imminent closure by Strathclyde Regional Council, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher intervened personally to ensure the survival of the school. The law was changed so that local councils could no longer close schools which were more than 80% full without approval by the Secretary of State for Scotland.[4]
Notable former pupils
Notable former pupils include:
- John Amabile – interior designer and TV presenter.
- Michael Barratt – television presenter and announcer.
- Colin Campbell – former Member of the Scottish Parliament (SNP).
- Reverend James Carlile (1795–1841) – Irish Commissioner of National Education.
- Sir William Cockburn (1891–1957) – banker and cricketer.[5]
- Professor Thomas Gibson FRSE (1915–1993) – plastic surgeon and bioengineer.[6]
- Fred Goodwin – former CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland.
- Peter Howitt (1970) – actor and film writer/director.
- Omer Hussain – Scottish cricket internationalist.
- Kenny Ireland (1945–2014) – theatre director & actor, notable for his role as "Donald" in ITV's Benidorm.
- John Jackson (1887–1958) – astronomer.
- Jacqui Lait (née Harkness) – former Member of Parliament (Conservative) and first ever female Conservative Party Whip.
- Very Reverend Matthew Leishman – Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1858.
- Alexander Munro MacRobert KC (1873–1930) – former Lord Advocate and Member of Parliament (Conservative).
- Kyle Magennis – professional footballer playing for St Mirren.
- Jim Mather – former Member of the Scottish Parliament (SNP).
- Lord McEwan – former Judge in Scottish Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary.
- Ann McKechin – Member of Parliament (Labour) for Glasgow North (2001–2015).
- Archibald McLardie (1889–1915) – lawyer and footballer.
- John Macquarrie (1919–2007) – sometime Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford, and Canon Residentiary, Christ Church, Oxford.
- Andrew Neil – journalist and broadcaster.[7]
- David Nish – Chief Executive of Standard Life plc.
- Brian Reid – former professional footballer and present manager of Ayr United Football Club.
- Andrew Robertson – former President of the Montreal Board of Trade etc.
- David Stow (1793–1864) – educationalist.
- David Tennant – actor, (Doctor Who, Broadchurch, Jessica Jones etc.)
- Tom Urie – actor and musician.
- Frank Walker (1897–1949) – Scottish footballer.
- Frank Arneil Walker – Emeritus Professor of Architecture at Strathclyde University.
- John Wilson (Scottish writer)
- John Wilson – Canadian children's author.
- Kenyon Wright – former Chairman of the Scottish Constitutional Convention.
- Lord Wylie (1923–2005) – former Lord Advocate and former Member of Parliament (Scottish Unionist Party).
Old Grammarians
The Old Grammarians Club is a society formed by and for former pupils and staff of Paisley Grammar School. The club has been running in some form since 1928 and was founded with a need to 'keep in touch' after school years following world war I.[8]
Mr Ross Brisco is the current president who was elected to office in 2018.[9]
The Club are committed to organising social gatherings throughout the year including a yearly ball[10] and a golf club with yearly tournament.[11] The Old Grammarians Club also contributes to the school's annual prize-giving; giving the Old Grammarians Prize to one pupil in the sixth year.
References
- "Head Teacher's Welcome". Paisley Grammar School. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- "School History". Paisley Grammar School.
- "The History of the Paisley Grammar School, from Its Foundation in 1576: Of the Paisley Grammar School and Academy and of the Other Town's Schools". A. Gardner. 1 December 1875 – via Google Books.
- "Paisley Grammar School". Paisley Grammar School.
- "Bank director". The Herald. Glasgow, Scotland. 3 September 1957. p. 3. Retrieved 19 December 2015 – via Google News.
- Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X.
- Andrew Neil: 'I am a better journalist than I am a businessman' | The Independent
- "Who Are We?". 14 September 2012.
- "Committee". 14 September 2012.
- "Annual Gala Ball". 30 October 2012.
- "Golf Club". 12 September 2013.
External links
- Paisley Grammar School's page on Scottish Schools Online
- www.paisleygrammarschool.com
- www.old-grammarians.co.uk
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