Boclair Academy

Boclair Academy
Motto Wisdom, Justice, Compassion and Integrity[1]
Established 1977
Type State secondary school
Headteacher Douglas Brown
Location Inveroran Drive
Bearsden
East Dunbartonshire
G61 2PL
Scotland
Students 912 (Sept 2010)[2]
Gender Co-educational
Ages 11–18
Colours

Junior colours

Senior colours
Publication Bac Talk
Staff 74 (Sept 2010)[2]
Feeder Schools Torrance Primary, Killermont Primary, Westerton Primary, Colquhoun Park Primary
Website Official website

Boclair Academy is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school located in the Greater Glasgow suburb of Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The school serves pupils aged 11–18 from Southern Bearsden, Westerton and Torrance. Boclair Academy is affiliated with four local primary schools within its catchment area, Westerton Primary School, Killermont Primary School, Colquhoun Park Primary School and Torrance Primary School Schools. The school's exam achievement has improved in recent years, in 2011 27% of S5 gained at least 5 Higher passes (A-C), which placed it 21st in Scotland for a state school.[3]

History and recent upgrades

Boclair Academy from Kessington Road

Boclair Academy was built in 1976 to meet increased demand in the area; initially the school accommodated overflow with Douglas Academy and Bearsden Academy but later the school had an increased number of placing requests from outside East Dunbartonshire. In 1998, because the school was over capacity, an annex was erected for the Maths department.

In June 2016, Rangers F.C. announced a partnership with East Dunbartonshire Council which saw 24 of the club's youth players aged 11 to 15 attend Boclair Academy to allow them to combine their academic and football studies.[4] The school is located close to the Rangers training ground at Auchenhowie.

HMIe inspection

The school's last inspection was carried out in January 2009 by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (merged in 2011 with Learning and Teaching Scotland to form Education Scotland).[5] The report, published 17 March 2009, was largely positive and praised the following strengths:

  • Positive relationships between staff and young people
  • Enthusiastic, well-motivated and friendly young people
  • High-quality learning and teaching in all departments
  • Consistently high attainment in national examinations
  • Effective partnership working to support young people with additional support needs
  • Effective pastoral support for young people moving from primary school into S1, particularly for those most likely to find the move difficult.

HMIe also agreed the following areas for improvement with the school and education authority:

  • Continue to improve learning and teaching by better sharing of good practice and through more effective self-evaluation
  • Continue to improve achievement by building more effectively on young people’s learning at primary school and through better links with community partners.[6][7]

The inspection of the school was accompanied by an inspection of the learning community surrounding Boclair Academy.[8] There was also a follow through report, which evaluated the school's progress, published by East Dunbartonshire Council in February 2011.[9]

Boclair school junior tie (left) and senior tie (right)

The following is according to the 'student planner' 2013-2014 issued to all pupils (see Bibliography below)

Campus

The school is spread over four buildings within its 16 acres (65,000 m2) site. The main building contains an assembly hall, dining area, staff room, pupil social areas, green house and classrooms over five floors for Art, English, Home Economics, Business & IM, Modern Languages, Social Subjects and Science. There are separate buildings for Technical, Physical Education (which has its own swimming pool) and mathematics which is housed in a 'temporary' annex.

Departmental facilities and equipment

Physical Education

Exercise bikes in the PE fitness room. The windows look down on the small games hall.

The PE department has a swimming pool. It also has a variety of equipment to cater for sporting activities within two games halls (used for gymnastics, circuit training, social dance, badminton, basketball, football, and indoor games such as Danish Longball) and an outside area consisting of two all-weather pitches for football and hockey, two grass rugby pitches, and spare grass areas used for football. In the PE building upstairs there is a fitness room.[10]

interior of typical classroom
The school library, showing computer suite
Picture taken from grass rugby pitch shows all-weather pitches (red) in background and PE block on the left.

RMPS

The Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies department runs a chess club and a debating society which has produced finalists in the Junior English-Speaking Union Scotland debating competition and more recently semi finalists in the Law Society of Scotland Donald Dewar Memorial Competition.[11]

In the news

  • The Evening Times reported on a pupil beating the UK Pi memorising record (12 May 2008).[12]
  • The BBC reported on a technician being injured following an explosion in the school laboratory (23 June 2009).[13]

The school building has been used for several sketches in the second series of Burnistoun. (see Bibliography below)

Notable alumni

  • Scott Guyan, works a 23.2hr day
  • Callum Fickling, YouTube mountain biking star
  • Tommy Reilly, musician, the winner of Orange Unsigned Act 2008, was a pupil at the school until 2007.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Boclair Academy - School Info". Boclair.e-dunbarton.sch.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  2. 1 2 Scotland. "Boclair Academy - East Dunbartonshire - Scottish Schools Online 2011/12". Educationscotland.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  3. ↑ "School Exam Performance 2011". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  4. ↑ "Gers Begin School Initiative". Rangers.co.uk. Rangers Football Club. 22 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "Remit". Education Scotland. 2011-07-01. Archived from the original on 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  6. ↑ "Committee Minutes". Dbs.eastdunbarton.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  8. ↑ http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/BoclairAcademyinspecIns20090306_tcm4-699676.pdf
  9. ↑ "see point 17 for details of the follow through report" (PDF). dbs.eastdunbarton.gov.uk.
  10. ↑ "Boclair Academy - PE Department Facilities". Boclair.e-dunbarton.sch.uk. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  11. ↑ "Pupils debate cameras in court". Lawscot.org.uk. 2012-02-09. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  12. ↑ Monday 12 May 2008 (2008-05-12). "Daniel, 13 beats top UK maths record". Evening Times. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  13. ↑ "UK | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Technician injured in school lab". BBC News. 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  14. ↑ Reilly, Tommy (2008). "Tommy Reilly". orangeunsignedact.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2009-04-11.

Bibliography

  • "Episode 3", Burnistoun Series 2, BBC One, Television, First Broadcast 18 Apr 2011.
  • Boclair Academy School Handbook 2012-2013
  • Boclair Academy Student Planner 2012-2013

Coordinates: 55°54′59″N 4°18′14″W / 55.91639°N 4.30389°W / 55.91639; -4.30389

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