Shawlands Academy
| Motto | Sola Nobilitas Virtus - Virtue Alone Ennobles' |
|---|---|
| Established | 1857 / 1894 |
| Type | Secondary |
| Headteacher | Mrs Ann Grant |
| Location |
31 Moss-Side Road Glasgow City of Glasgow G41 3TR Scotland Coordinates: 55°49′52″N 4°17′01″W / 55.83099°N 4.2837°W |
| Local authority | Glasgow City Council |
| Staff | c. 100 full-time staff |
| Students | c. 1,250 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Website | Shawlands Academy |
Shawlands Academy is a secondary school situated in the heart of Glasgow's cosmopolitan South Side, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Admissions
Shawlands Academy is Glasgow’s designated 'International School and one of Scotland’s most multicultural schools. It is situated in Shawlands, the heart of Glasgow’s cosmopolitan South Side, between Pollok Park (and its world-famous Burrell Collection) and Queen's Park, named after Mary Queen of Scots who fought her final battle on Scottish soil at the Battle of Langside on 13 May 1568.
Shawlands Academy currently has around 1,250 students from a wide variety of backgrounds and has a staff of over a 100 teachers.
Shawlands Academy is a long-established school that dates from 1857 when there was a private school of the same name located nearby in Skirving Street. However, the school as we know it today opened its doors over 118 years ago in 1894 in the nearby building on Pollokshaws Road which now houses Shawlands Primary School.
History and features
Shawlands Academy school motto is Sola Nobilitas Virtus (‘Virtue alone ennobles’) from the Roman poet Juvenal's celebrated Satires (Book III, Satire VIII) where he wrote: "Nobilitas sola est atque unica virtus" or ‘Virtue alone ennobles’.
The school's motto reflects the school's values that aim to develop all its young people as good and active citizens and who seek to live the values that the school promotes, namely:
• Compassion and Justice • Equality and Fairness • Respect and Inclusion • Integrity and Honesty
There has been significant investment in technology in all subjects particularly English and Modern Languages, Computing, Sciences, Technology, Business Education, Music and Drama. In 2002, the school was extensively refurbished with the addition of a new gymnasium. The school also has a fitness suite and a pool, the latter extensively used by the local community.
Shawlands Academy is one of Glasgow’s top-performing secondary schools with its examination results in the top 10% of schools in Scotland. 70% of students leave Shawlands Academy for university and college, well above the Scottish average.
Shawlands Academy places particular emphasis on modern languages and students study two languages in their first two years, chosen from French, German, Spanish or Urdu. Additionally, the school encourages and assists students to study their mother tongue. There are over 50 languages spoken by the school's young people and the school is heavily involved in international education exchanges and education.
Sports teams
Shawlands and South Schools Under 16 Rugby Team (an amalgamation of mostly Shawlands Academy players with some players from King's Park Secondary, Hillpark Secondary and Lourdes Secondary) won the Scottish Rugby Union Under 16 West of Scotland Bowl in February 2012.
The Shawlands Academy Under 16 Rugby Team are the current Glasgow Emerging Schools Champions. Shawlands Academy was awarded School of Rugby status by the SRU in November 2011. The school enjoys close links with Cartha Queens Park Rugby Football Club, playing many home matches at Catha's Dumbreck ground. The schools u14 rugby team are also the current emerging school champions and youth game champions (2012)
Since his retirement from school rugby after helping to win the Scottish Rugby Union Under 16 West of Scotland Bowl, Dylan Fisher has been appointed a coaching role in August 2014 and continues to help coach the Shawlands team to this day.
The school also has a history of success with its cricket team, producing a number of junior representative players and winning the Glasgow Schools Junior and Senior titles on a number of occasions.
The school currently has a number of Internationalists in Athletics and Hockey.
Shawlands Academy football teams compete at all age categories in the Glasgow Schools Football Association Leagues.
Pluralism
Shawlands is noted for its pluralism. In the 1960s, the school had a particularly high concentration of Jewish pupils, and was consequently one of the few state schools in Scotland to offer Hebrew as a curriculum subject. Reflecting its status as Glasgow International School, Shawlands teaches many modern languages, including Urdu. According to a survey in 2006, over 57 languages are spoken in the playground.[1]
Notable alumni
- Ian Brady, serial murderer
- Daniel Portman (born 1992), Scottish actor best known for his performance in HBO's Game of Thrones as Poderick Payne
- James Craigen (born 1938), Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Maryhill 1974–87[2]
- Michelle Gomez (born 1966), actor
- Tom Husband (born 1936), engineer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Salford 1990–97
See also
References
- ↑ Andrew Denholm, "From Urdu to Polish ... the diverse culture of one school", The Herald 2 October 2006.
- ↑ "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
