St Columba's School, Kilmacolm
| St Columba's School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Duchal Road , , PA13 4AU United Kingdom | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent day school |
| Motto | Orare, laborare, literisque, studere |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Non-denominational Christian |
| Established | 1897 |
| Chairman | David R Ward |
| Rector | David Girdwood |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 5 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 730 |
| Houses | Craigmarloch Duchal Killalan Strathgryffe |
| Colour(s) | Green, Blue |
| Publication | The Columban |
| Affiliations | HMC |
| Website | http://www.st-columbas.org |
St Columba's School is a mixed independent day school in Kilmacolm in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in Scotland. It is split across two sites - the Junior School is located at Knockbuckle Road (PA13 4EQ) and the Senior School at Duchal Road (PA13 4AU) - and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference group of schools.
St. Columba's is a non-denominational school, open to all religions but has strong Christian roots.
Today the school provides both primary and secondary education between its Junior and Senior Schools for around 730 pupils between the ages of five and eighteen years. St Columba's generally draws its pupils from its own county of Renfrewshire or the neighbouring county of Ayrshire.
The school was named The Sunday Times' "School of the Year" in 2004/05 after attaining the best examination results of any school in Scotland. The present Rector is David Girdwood.
History
St Columba's was founded in 1897 at Duchal Road where it is still located. The preparatory school at St Columba's was formerly located at Shieldhall on Bridge of Weir Road. Boarders were once accepted and accommodated in Shallott, the current junior school building. The junior school was then located at Shieldhall on the Bridge of Weir Road. During the Second World War, Shieldhall was utilised as dormatories for evacuees from other schools, particularly those also owned by the Girls' Schools Company. The Knockbuckle Road site, which now houses the Junior School, was once occupied by boarders. When boarding ceased in 1970 it was developed and has been the site of the Junior School ever since.[1][2]
St Columba's first admitted boys in 1978 and, with that year's progression and graduation, became fully co-educational in 1982.
Sites
The senior school is located on Duchal Road to the north of Kilmacolm's village centre. The junior school and new sports facilities, including rugby pitches are located on Birkmyre Park, with the hockey ground being a 3G[3] artificial pitch accessible from Bridge of Weir Road.[citation needed]
The main buildings of the senior school are to be radically renovated in the near future, pending planning permission. The first stage of these renovations involves the demolition of two adjacent houses in Gryffe Road and the construction of a long two storey high building consisting of new classrooms, administrative offices and staff facilities. The school has already purchased two adjacent buildings to be used to this end. The second stage of these renovations involves the demolition of the school's ageing science block to make way for a two storey high circular auditorium to be joined to the new building constructed during stage one of the renovations .[citation needed]
Sports and academic achievements
The school's academic results in 2005 were considered the best in Scotland on the basis of Higher passes.[4]
Notable staff
- Norah Neilson Gray taught here, where she was nicknamed "Purple Patch".[5]
References
- ^ Lawrence, Julia. "LIVING IN KILMACOLM 1932-1955" (PDF). Kilmacolm Civic Trust.
- ^ 110 Years of St Columba's School
- ^ "Inverclyde Leisure - facilities".
- ^ St.Columba's Senior School
- ^ Norah Neilson Gray, Helensburgh Heroes, accessed July 2010