Kirkcaldy High School is a 6-year co-educational comprehensive state school in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, Scotland.

History

The school was established in 1582 as Kirkcaldy Burgh School; the "High School" name dates from the middle part of the 19th century. The school's motto is ''Usque conabor'', "I will strive to my utmost". The High School was originally on St Brycedale Avenue and part of the old building is now incorporated into Kirkcaldy College. In 1958 a new school was built on Dunnikier Way in the shape of a 'H' and opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. In 1970 the last entrance exams for the school were taken after which pupils were zoned into their nearest high school. The following year Templehall High School (about half a mile away) became the "Junior" building of the High School originally accommodating 1st, 2nd & 3rd year pupils (later just 1st and 2nd years). The original high school became home for the seniors. As requirements changed over the years the senior school was extended and pupil numbers declined. The requirement for two buildings was no longer necessary. In 1994 the junior building was closed and demolished; the site is now occupied by a housing estate. The most recent inspection of the school took place in 2012. The reports stated that the school was making good progress with its goals and identified key strengths: pupils who were proud of their school and positive about learning, high achievement in out-of-class learning, high quality pastoral care, very good community partnership working, staff who listened to and involved pupils, and the headteacher's leadership of an improving school. In March 2014, the school won the

COSLA The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the national association of Scottish councils and acts as an employers' association for its 32 member authorities. History Formed in 1975, COSLA exists to promote and protect the inter ...

(Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) Excellence Award for its work in relation to teenage sexual health and pregnancy prevention. Working with NHS Fife, the school was recognised as being an example of best practice in this field and was featured in the national press, TV and radio. Later in 2014, Kirkcaldy High School was shortlisted as a finalist in the Scottish Education Awards 2014 in the Health and Wellbeing section and were selected as the "Kingdom FM" Best School in their "Local Hero" Awards in August 2014. During session 2015–2016, the school was increasingly involved in promoting "STEM" (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Education, with a staff member being recognised as UK STEM Teacher of the Year, the school winning the Scottish finals of the Engineering Development Trust's "Go4SET" competition and another finalist place in the Scottish Education Awards On 22 February 2017, the school received a visit from Stonewall Ambassador Sir

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

. Sir Ian spoke to the S6 about his experiences before having lunch with the school LGBT+ Group. Sir Ian was awarded a Kirkclady High School tie which he wore on

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...

. In 2018, the school won a second COSLA Excellence Award for their work tackling LGBT+ bullying and promoting equality across the school as well as taking training to a number of local and national organisations. In 2020, the school was awarded "Gold" status as a

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

"Rights Respecting School" and was awarded the "Gold" Charter by

LGBT Youth Scotland LGBT Youth Scotland is a Scottish List of youth organizations, youth organisation dedicated to the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people from 13 to 25 year of age in Scotland. It was established in November 1989 ...

House system

The pupils of Kirkcaldy High School are organised into four different houses. Originally the House system was named after areas of Kirkcaldy – Balwearie, Raith, Ravenscraig & St. Serfs. Now the houses are named after famous persons of the town. *Oswald (green) – Named after an old Kirkcaldy family, at one time associated with the Dunnikier estate, on which the school is now sited. *

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——— ...

(purple) – Named after the economist who wrote ''The Wealth of Nations'' and attended the school in the eighteenth century. *Carlyle (blue) – Named after the writer

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

who taught at the school between 1816 and 1818.

Former rectors

*Derek Allan: 2009–2022

Notable former pupils

Gordon Aikman Gordon Lewis Aikman BEM (2 April 1985 – 2 February 2017) was a British political researcher and campaigner. He was Director of Research for the Better Together campaign during the Scottish Independence Referendum. During that campaign he ...

, motor neurone disease campaigner *

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

, former UK Prime Minister *

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career ...

, author *

David Raitt Robertson Burt Prof David Raitt Robertson Burt BSc FRSE FLS FZS (1899-1983) was a Scottish zoologist with strong links to Ceylon. St Andrews University’s Burt Memorial Lecture is named after him. He is also credited with mounting the Bell Pettigrew Museum coll ...

, zoologist *

Bob Carruthers Bob Carruthers (born November 1960) is a Scottish filmmaker, author and broadcaster. Career Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Carruthers attended Kirkcaldy High School. After graduating from Edinburgh University in 1981 and working for Central Tel ...

, filmmaker and author *

Harry Colville Henry Colville (12 February 1924 – 16 March 1999) was a Scottish football player and manager. He played for Falkirk, Raith Rovers, Chester and Dunfermline Athletic. After retiring as a player in 1960, Colville managed Cowdenbeath Cowd ...

, footballer *

William Barron Coutts Prof William Barron Coutts FRSE (26 May 1885 – 16 December 1946) was a Scottish physicist specialising in military science. He was generally referred to as Willie Coutts. Life He was born at the family home of Green Croft in Kinghorn, Fife ...

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

, military scientist * Ewan Dow, politician *

Douglas Dryburgh Douglas Dryburgh (born 30 January 1966 in Inverness or Kirkcaldy, Scotland) is a Scottish-Irish curler, originally from Kirkcaldy. He is a former World Junior champion skip and represented Great Britain at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Car ...

, Olympic curler *

Murray Elder, Baron Elder Thomas Murray Elder, Baron Elder (born 9 May 1950), known as Murray Elder, is a British Labour politician and member of the House of Lords. Education Elder was educated at the Kirkcaldy High School and graduated from the University of Edinb ...

, life peer and political chief of staff *

Robert Fyfe Robert Douglas Fyfe (25 September 1930 – 15 September 2021) was a Scottish actor, best known for his role as List of Last of the Summer Wine characters#Other regular characters, Howard in the long-running British sitcom ''Last of the Summer ...

, actor *

Harry Gourlay Harry Philip Heggie Gourlay (10 July 1916 – 20 April 1987) was a Scottish Labour Party politician. Gourlay was educated at Kirkcaldy High School and was a vehicles examiner. He served as a councillor on Kirkcaldy Town Council and Fife Count ...

, politician * John Grahl, economist *

Sandy Hinshelwood Alexander James Watt Hinshelwood (born ) is a former international rugby union player. He was capped twenty-one times for Scotland as a wing between 1966 and 1970.Griffiths, page 2:38-2:40 He scored five tries for Scotland. Hinshelwood was sel ...

, rugby international *

Archie Howie Archibald "Archie" Howie (born 8 March 1934) is a British physicist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Cambridge, known for his pioneering work on the interpretation of transmission electron microscope images of crystals. Born in 1 ...

, physicist *

Bob Howie Robert Howie (11 June 1898 – 14 May 1992) was a international rugby union player. He played for Kirkcaldy RFC.Bath, p. 138 Rugby Union career Amateur career He played for Kirkcaldy RFC. Provincial career Howie was capped by Midlands Dist ...

, rugby international * Dave Howie, rugby international *

William Oliphant Hutchison Sir William Oliphant Hutchison LLD PRSA (2 July 1889 – 5 February 1970) was a Scottish portrait and landscape painter. He was an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy, President of the Royal Scottish Academy and a member of the Royal Society ...

, painter *

Jackie Leven Jackie Leven (18 June 1950 – 14 November 2011) was a Scottish songwriter and folk musician. After starting his career as a folk musician in the late 1960s, he first found success with new wave band Doll by Doll. He later recorded as a sol ...

, musician *

Val McDermid Valarie "Val" McDermid, (born 4 June 1955) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill in a grim sub-genre that McDermid and others have identified as Tartan Noir. Biography ...

, novelist *

Alan Ormrod Joseph Alan Ormrod (born 22 December 1942) is a former English first-class cricketer who played for Worcestershire and Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropo ...

, cricketer * Richard Park, broadcaster * Aileen Paterson, author *

Harry Ritchie Harry Ritchie (born 1958) is a Scottish writer and journalist. He is the author of six books, and numerous newspaper articles and book reviews. Biography Ritchie was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife. He attended Kirkcaldy High School and the Universit ...

, author *

Meg Ritchie Margaret "Meg" Elizabeth Stone (née Ritchie, born 6 July 1952) is a retired Scottish discus thrower and Shot putter. She reached the Olympic finals at discus in Moscow 1980 (9th) and Los Angeles 1984 (5th). She also won the 1982 Commonwealth ...

, Olympic athlete *

Anneila Sargent Professor Anneila Isabel Sargent FRSE DSc (born Anneila Cassells, 1942, Kirkcaldy) is a Scottish–American astronomer who specializes in star formation. Biography Sargent was brought up in Burntisland, Fife, and schooled at Burntisland ...

, astronomer *

, economist *

Shirley-Anne Somerville Shirley-Anne Somerville (born 2 September 1974) is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliamen ...

, politician *

R.C. Stevenson Dr. Robert C. Stevenson (17 February 1886 – 4 September 1973) was a Scotland international rugby union player. He also represented the Barbarians and the British and Irish Lions. Rugby Union career Amateur career He played rugby union ...

, rugby player *

Melissa Terras Melissa Mhairi Terras (born 1975 Kirkcaldy, Scotland) is a leading international figure in the field of Digital Humanities. Since 2017, she has been Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Edinburgh, and director of its Centre ...

, professor * Brian Thomson, journalist * Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth, industrialist *

Bertha Wilson Bertha Wernham Wilson (September 18, 1923April 28, 2007) was a Canadian jurist and the first female puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Before her ascension to Canada's highest court, she was the first female associate and partner at ...

, Canadian Supreme Court Judge

References

External links

Official school siteKirkcaldy High School's page on Scottish Schools OnlineKirkcaldy High School on Twitter
{{authority control Secondary schools in Fife Educational institutions established in 1852 Kirkcaldy 1852 establishments in Scotland