Hutchesons' Grammar School
| Hutchesons' Grammar School | |
|---|---|
| File:Hutchesons Grammar School Logo.PNG | |
| Location | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent school |
| Number of students | 2000 approx |
| Website | Official Website |
Hutchesons' Grammar School was founded by the Hutcheson brothers, George and Thomas, in 1641. It was opened originally to teach orphans and started with "12 boys on the roll". It is a fee-paying school in Glasgow, Scotland.
In 1876 a girls' school was opened on Kingarth Street. The Boys' and Girls' schools amalgamated in 1976 at Beaton Road, leaving Kingarth Street to house the primary school. In 2001, the school expanded into Glasgow's West End when it merged with Laurel Park School and created a nursery and primary school on Lilybank Terrace, although this has since closed.
Today, the school has around 2,000 pupils at Kingarth Street and Beaton Road.
The current rector is Dr Kenneth M Greig MA PhD.
The current head girl is Victoria Maciver, head boy Douglas Campbell and deputes Sophie Clark and Manreek Basi.
History
The history of Hutcheson's Grammar School offers insight into the history of Glasgow over the past 360 years. When George and Thomas Hutcheson set aside money in 1641 for their school, they started an educational enterprise which has continued to flourish.
The brothers originally intended the School to be for orphans. Archibald Edmiston, an orphan himself, became the School's first pupil in 1643 and, seven years later, the School had the "12 boys on the roll", at least, according to the School song.
The stone built Hutchesons' Hospital Building in the Trongate - right in the heart of Glasgow - survived the devastating fire that destroyed so much of the city in 1652. It survived, too, the ravages of the earlier Civil Wars before peace - and, later, the monarchy - was restored.
So, after a stuttering beginning, Hutchesons' Grammar School began to grow in size and reputation - requiring several moves to accommodate its multiplying numbers. It twice changed address before Ingram Street became home to the school in 1802. By 1815, the year of Waterloo, the roll had risen to 76. By 1839 it stood at 120 which prompted the Patrons' decision to build a new school in Crown Street, Gorbals. The location was described as 'possessing quietness of situation, good air and a roomy open site'. The new building was opened in 1841 and remained in use until 1960.
In 1876, Hutchesons' Girls'School opened its doors for the first time in Elgin Street. The Girls' School was extremely successful and the number of pupils enrolled was far greater than the building was designed to hold. One final move saw Hutchesons' Girls' Grammar School, as it was now known, re-located in 1912 to the present primary school building in Kingarth Street.
Beaton Road in Crossmyloof became home to Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School half a century later in 1960. It was seen then as an extremely fashionable building, daring in its modernity.
Despite these many changes to the schools over the centuries, the single most significant change occurred in 1976. The year marked the amalgamation of Hutchesons' Girls' Grammar School and Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School, to form Hutchesons' Grammar School, the co-educational institution which remains in this form today. The girls' site in Kingarth Street became the mixed primary school with all the secondary pupils at what had been the boys' school in Beaton Road.
Perhaps the most rapid changes at Hutchesons' have occurred in the last two decades. In 1991, a new 3-storey Science Block was erected in the Beaton Road carpark while 1994 saw the construction of a new Infant Block at Kingarth Street. A new multi-million pound Sports Building was developed on the Playing Fields at Beaton Road in 1998, allowing the old gymnasium in the Senior School to be converted into a state-of-the-art library in 1999.
The new Millennium saw the newly-purchased Pollokshields United Reformed Church, in Beaton Road, developed to create the Fotheringay Centre, with new classrooms and offices for the Music and ICT departments, as well as music practice rooms and a multi-purpose auditorium and lecture theatre.
Dr Greig and The Future
Upon the arrival of the new rector, Dr Greig, in August 2005, Mr MacAllister became "Officer of Derring Do" and took up a visible position with pupils and staff. Dr Kenneth Greig attended Edinburgh and Oxford Universities, and has been well received by pupils, parents and staff. Inspectors commented that "He was highly regarded by staff, pupils and parents. In his short time in the post, he had inspired their confidence and quickly built strong relationships". Throughout the report, there were indications of rapid improvement, and plans for the years ahead. The new session saw many new staff including a Director of Curriculum, Mr Bagnall, and a new Head of Classics, Mr Goolies, as well as a new prefect system.
Former Pupils
James Maxton - Labour MP 'Red Clydesider'
John Buchan - Novelist, Governor-General of Canada
Dr John Brown - Naval Architect
Derry Irvine - QC and former Lord Chancellor
Carol Smillie - TV Presenter and former model
Hilary Scott - Deputy Editor of Reading Evening Post
Laura Gordon - Glasgow / Edinburgh Collaboration officer
Colin Mainds - Philanthropist and former Mr. Universe
Andrew Duthie- Vaudeville magician and general man-about-town