Calderglen High School (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: ''Àrd-sgoil Ghlinn Challdair'') is a state-run

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in the St Leonards area of the Scottish

new town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

, in

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

. The complex of buildings is situated on the precipitous bank of the

Rotten Calder The Rotten Calder is a river to the east of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland and along with the Rotten Burn it forms the southern and western boundaries of Blantyre. It begins as the Calder Water at its source at Ardochrig, and is jo ...

Water, overlooking a meander named the 'School Bend'. The school derives its name from the Calder Glen (gorge) which the river occupies, which is a

site of special scientific interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSI). The school has a pupil roll of approximately 1800, with 130 teachers, making it one of the largest secondary institutions in Europe. The school's houses are named Cameron, Torrance and Struthers. The school was established after the merger of

Hunter High School Hunter High School is a public high school located at 4200 South 5600 West, West Valley City, Utah, United States. It was opened in 1990 with its first graduating class graduating in 1991. During the first school year (1990–1991), the enrollme ...

and Claremont High School. Calderglen occupies the site of the former Claremont High, and was opened on 18 February 2008. The campus is shared with Sanderson High School, a special school catering for students with learning difficulties.

Modernisation

The schools of Hunter and Claremont High School were in need of renewal due to wear and tear of the buildings. Leaks had started and

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

damage was becoming a major issue. After consideration by South Lanarkshire Council, it was proposed to merge the two, and rename the new school Calderglen High. The other four high schools in East Kilbride (Ballerup, Duncanrig, St Andrew's and St Bride's) have also merged into another two new schools (a replacement Duncanrig Secondary and

St Andrew's and St Bride's High School St Andrew's and St Bride's High School is a Roman Catholic school in East Kilbride, Scotland. The current head teacher is Fiona Mullen. The school opened in 2007, and as of October 2020, had a roll of 1,523 pupils. The new buildings are adjacent ...

respectively). Construction of the school started in 2004/2005 next to the existing Claremont building in St Leonards, and was to be ready at the start of the 2007/2008 school year, but was completed six months late. The Claremont building has been demolished and in its place is a new all-weather sports pitch facility. The site of Hunter High School is mostly occupied by a housing development.

Notable former pupils

Notable alumni of Calderglen's predecessor schools, Claremont and Hunter, include footballer and former Rangers F.C. manager Ally McCoist, television presenter

Lorraine Kelly Lorraine Kelly, (born 30 November 1959) is a Scottish journalist and television presenter. She has presented various television shows for ITV, including '' Good Morning Britain'' (1988–1992), ''GMTV'' (1993–2010), ''This Morning'' (2003� ...

, actor John Hannah, MSP and former health minister

Andy Kerr Andrew Kerr (1878–1969) was an American football coach. Andrew or Andy Kerr may also refer to: * Andrew Kerr (Australian politician) (1837–1907), New South Wales politician *Andrew Kerr (broadcaster), Scottish television presenter and journalis ...

References

External links

{{authority control Secondary schools in South Lanarkshire Buildings and structures in East Kilbride 2007 establishments in Scotland Educational institutions established in 2007 School buildings completed in 2008