Trinity High School, Rutherglen

Trinity High School
Address
Rutherglen
G73
Glasgow
 Scotland
Information
Type Roman Catholic
Motto "Home, school, church, stronger together"
Established Circa 1970
Headmaster Peter Bollen[1]
Scottish Highers 1st Years – 6th Years
Gender Mixed
Enrollment 1,060
Colour(s)                    
Website Trinity High School

Trinity High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school, currently, located in Eastfield, Rutherglen, Scotland near the city of Glasgow. It was established in 1971. The current Head Teacher is Peter Bollen who took office between 2007 and 2008 with incumbent Patricia Rossi leaving her post.

Overview

The school uses a traditional house system. The pupils are organised into one of three guidance houses, formerly having been four. The three houses are Iona, Dunkeld and Melrose. Jedburgh was previously a house but was removed during re-organisation of the school faculty.

In 2007 the old Trinity was demolished; a new school was completed in the same Glenside Drive location. Pupils returned in August 2009.[2] A council-run sports centre and swimming pool (known as South Lanarkshire Lifestyle Eastfield)[3] constructed a few years earlier shares the site, with the facilities used by the Trinity pupils during the school day and available for community use at other times.

The school hosts many afterschool clubs and has competed in national competitions. Around mid-October an awards ceremony is held to honour pupils who have achieved academically and through sports activities. Although a Catholic school, it accepts students from other religious denominations.

Trinity's affiliated primary schools include St Anthony's in Springhall, St Bride's in Cambuslang, St Cadoc's in Halfway, St Charles' in Newton, St Columbkille's in Rutherglen, St Joachim's in Carmyle, and St Mark's in Blairbeth.[4]

History

According to their website:

Trinity's history starts from the early 1970s; there was a growing demand for a school to accommodate students from around South Lanarkshire. The first Trinity High School was situated in the former Gateside School building in Hamilton Road, Cambuslang. The building is now functioning as part of Cambuslang College. [For many years afterwards the Gateside buildings were a campus of what became South Lanarkshire College,[5] but was demolished around 2008; a supermarket now occupies most of the site.]

The first pupils started attending the school in 1970. Prior to the opening of Trinity High School, pupils travelled to St Bride's in East Kilbride or to St Columbkille's Junior Secondary School in Rutherglen.

The growing demand for pupils to attend Trinity High School in the early years saw a growing dissatisfaction by parents at the lack of facilities in the school. This was partly due to the erection of temporary accommodation in what was previously the school playground. Parental protests at the lack of facilities, coupled with issues over staffing due to industrial action, saw tenders for building a new Trinity school issued in October 1974.

Throughout this difficult time Trinity pupils continued to contribute to the local community in a very positive way. In July 1975 the Rutherglen Reformer carried an article reporting that Trinity High School raised over £3000 for various charities, an admirable tradition carried on in Trinity to this day. The figure raised by the pupils is even more impressive when you consider the prices of groceries at that time. For example, an E3 size packet of Ariel soap powder cost 44p whilst 20 cigarettes cost a mere 46p!

Lanark Council accepted a tender of £1,750,000 for the school to be built on its current site by the firm of Andrew Crouch & Sons Ltd, an English firm with offices in Glasgow. The building process was not without its difficulties, particularly when a young labourer unearthed a skeleton, believed to be that of a former owner of the house on which the school is built. A further problem occurred when an inquisitive young boy entered the building site and fell down a well breaking his leg. Fortunately, the night watchmen heard his cries and he was quickly taken to hospital. The school was completed in time for the new intake of pupils starting on 19 August 1977. It was built to accommodate 1000 pupils and the Headteacher was Mr Thomas Curran. The 'old' Trinity at Hamilton Road continued to be used for First and Second year pupils, with senior pupils attending the new Trinity.

The school is not, as suggested by local legend, built the wrong way round. According to Alex Moyes, a surveyor working on the project, the school was built this way in order that the main entrance had nicer views of the valley! The school also opted for a theatre rather than an assembly hall, believing that it would be of greater benefit to the community. Another extra in the school was the "animal room" which I believe was to be used for producing specimens for Biology lessons. This was, very quickly, halted by the council and the room is now being used for a variety of purposes by the school's Science Technicians.[6]

New buildings, move to Hamilton

On 5 November 2007 the former school building in Glenside Drive, being demolished as part of the "Schools Modernisation Programme",[7][8][9] was set ablaze. Before it was set on fire, it was due to be destroyed by contractors InspirdED onto whom the council had passed responsibility.[8][10]

The fire broke out in the school on Guy Fawkes Night. A total of eight crews, 60 firefighters in total, worked through the night to control the blaze and by 1:00 AM on Monday morning the fire was finally extinguished. On Bonfire night there were several incidents throughout Scotland in the aftermath of the festival that sparked fires similar to the Trinity School blaze as evidenced by the Strathclyde Fire and Police services, and in addition this gained widespread media attention.[8][10]

During the complete reconstruction of the school, pupils at Trinity High School were temporarily located at the old Holy Cross High School buildings in Hamilton, with a replacement for Holy Cross having already been completed nearby (these have also since been demolished in the South Lanarkshire Schools Modernisation project).

Former pupils

References

  1. ↑ "Senior Leadership Team". Trinity High School. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Smith, Kenny (7 August 2010). "New Trinity High is officially opened". Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "SLC – Eastfield Lifestyle". South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Primary Schools". Trinity High School. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "History". South Lanarkshire College. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "School History". Trinity High School. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  7. ↑ "Scotland's Largest Schools PFI" (PDF). Marc Roca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  8. 1 2 3 "BONFIRE NIGHT BLAZE DESTROYS TRINITY SCHOOL". Douglas Dickie. The Rutherglen Reformer. 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
  9. ↑ "South Lanarkshire Schools PPP Programme". Architecture + Design Scotland, ads.org.uk. 24 May 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
  10. 1 2 "Crews record busy Bonfire Night". BBC News. 6 November 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2009.

Coordinates: 55°49′24″N 4°11′16″W / 55.82341°N 4.187894°W / 55.82341; -4.187894

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