Portobello High School
| Portobello High School | |
|---|---|
 The Old (1963-2016)Portobello High School taken from Arthur's Seat. | |
| Location | |
 | |
1 Milton Road, Edinburgh, Scotland EH15 3BY United Kingdom | |
| Coordinates | 55°56′40.71″N 3°6′47.47″W / 55.9446417°N 3.1131861°W |
| Information | |
| Motto | Template:Lang-la |
| School district | City of Edinburgh |
| Head teacher | Ruth McKay[1] |
| Enrollment | 1297[2] |
| Houses | Abercorn, Brunstane, Crichton and Duddingston |
| Color(s) | Blue, Yellow, Green, and Red |
| Website | School web site |
Portobello High School is a large secondary school in Portobello in the east of Edinburgh. With 1297 pupils it is one of the largest state schools in Edinburgh, and Scotland. The headteacher is Ruth McKay.
Building
In early 2006, the City of Edinburgh Council engaged professional consultants to conduct a feasibility study on possible sites for the redevelopment of Portobello High School. This led to a statutory educational consultation, as well as a public consultation, on three possible options.[3]
The resulting report[4] of the consultation was approved by the Council in December 2006.[5] In December 2008 the City of Edinburgh Council committed £41M to the redevelopment of the school on the site identified by the 2006 consultation.[6]
A design team was appointed in early 2009[7] with a Planning Application for the new school made in 2010. Planning permission was granted in early 2011 after an extensive pre-planning consultation programme. On 16 September 2011 Balfour Beatty were announced as the preferred choice to be awarded the contract to build the new school. Balfour Beatty delayed signing the contract until legal action was resolved relating to the place where the school will be built.[8] In September 2012 the Portobello Park Action Group (PPAG) won its case to prevent building a new school on common land in Portobello,[9] a decision which was subsequently overruled by the Scottish Parliament[10] allowing construction of the new school to begin in October 2014.[11] The new school opened in October 2016.[12]
In 2012, the roof blew off. [13]
The buildings in Duddingston Road were demolished between January and June 2017 in preparation for the construction of a new building for St John's Primary School. Once the new building is occupied, the old St John's will be demolished and the site made into a public park to replace the park land used to build the new Portobello High School on Milton Road.
Notable alumni
- Phil Cunningham, Musician[14]
- John Robertson, Sportsman[15]
- Ken Buchanan, Sportsman[15]
- Billy King, Sportsman
- Adam King, Sportsman
- Gordon Smith, Sportsman
- Marc McNulty, Sportsman
- Gail Porter, TV Presenter
- Ewen Bremner, Actor
- Ian Bell, Award-winning Journalist and Writer[16]
References
- ^ "Portobello HS". Portobellohighschool.org.uk. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ "List of Primary Schools with pupil roll information as at September 2012" (XLSX). Scotland.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ [4][dead link]
- ^ [5]
- ^ "Balfour Beatty set for Portobello High School construction contract - News centre - City of Edinburgh Council". Edinburgh.gov.uk. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ "BBC News - Campaigners against building new school on land in Portobello win appeal". BBC Online. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ^ "Parliament passes bill for new Portobello High School". BBC News. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "Turf to be cut for new Portobello High School". The Scotsman. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "New school opens after legal wrangle in Edinburgh - BBC News". BBC Online. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ^ "renewed calls for new portobello high school after storms rip off part of roof - Edinburgh Evening News". Edinburgh Evening News. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- ^ "Interview: Phil Cunningham". The Scotsman. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ a b John-Paul Holden; Laura Cummings (19 September 2012). "Portobello High School ruling: Porty parents eye trust plan". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ "Ian Bell, award-winning Scottish journalist, dies aged 59". The Guardian. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2017.