Knightswood Secondary School is a
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) ...
located in
Knightswood
Knightswood is a suburban district in Glasgow, containing three areas: Knightswood North or High Knightswood, Knightswood South or Low Knightswood, and Knightswood Park. It has a golf course and park, and good transport links with the rest of th ...
in the west-end of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland.
The school is one of the city's largest secondaries with a roll of approximately 1500 pupils. Knightswood is co-educational, non-selective and non-denominational, and provides education for pupils of varying backgrounds. Knightswood also contains The Dance School Of Scotland, which opened in 1984.
Management
As well as a headteacher and deputy headteacher, each school year has an assistant head teacher, who is able to have a more personal contact with students. The offices of the headteacher, deputy head and assistant heads are all held in one corridor located on the ground floor.
Guidance (known as pastoral care) teachers are assigned by registration classes. There are typically twelve guidance counsellors in one school year.
Classes and timings
Classes previously consisted of 7 periods lasting 50 minutes on Monday only and 6 periods also lasting 50 minutes on Tuesdays to Fridays, with a 20-minute student tutor time.
School timings were changed at the beginning of the 20/21 year to make space for more periods per week. The current timings are as follows. The first class of the day begins at 8:45 AM. There is currently a staggered lunchtime due to COVID-19 restrictions. The lunchtimes of pupils in the S1-6 age groups are currently from 1:10 PM–1:50 PM on Monday-Wednesday and 12:20 PM–1:00 PM on Thursday and Friday. Ending times have also been changed to 3:30 PM on Monday-Wednesday and 2:40 PM on Thursday and Friday for all pupils.
Most subjects have classes in the size of twenty to thirty pupils. Classes will be named by year and a set number (i.e. 1R3, 3R4, 2R12) The order of classes does not bear any relation to the skill of the pupils in those groups. In fifth and sixth year, due to subject choices, classes change with every period, and naming them is not necessary.
Layout and structure
Knightswood was the first school designed by the modernist architects
Gillespie, Kidd & Coia
Gillespie, Kidd & Coia was a Scottish architectural firm famous for their application of modernism in churches and universities, as well as at St Peter's Seminary in Cardross. Though founded in 1927, they are best known for their work in the ...
. Designed in 1938, it was not built until the 1950s, being opened on 10 October 1958 by
John Maclay
John Scott Maclay, 1st Viscount Muirshiel, (26 October 1905 – 17 August 1992) was a British politician, sitting as a National Liberal and Conservative Member of Parliament before the party was fully assimilated into the Unionist Party in Sco ...
, Secretary of State for Scotland. It is now protected as a
category B listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. Knightswood contains four floors, as well as three annexes.
History
Modern Studies
The crush hall is a social area containing students' lockers. It is given its name for the "crush" of students it is able to contain during rain or other conditions that would cause students to be unable to remain outside during breaks.
The drama studio, with separate performance and audience areas, extends to two floors.
The dance department provides dance instruction for mainstream students, and not students of the dance school of Scotland.
Home economics covers the subjects of food and textile technology.
Modern studies is most closely compared to politics, or recent history.
The Dance School of Scotland
Knightswood Secondary is affiliated with The Dance School of Scotland, a centre of excellence for vocational dance and musical theatre fully funded by the Scottish Government. It's incorporated into the main school to allow Dance and Musical Theatre pupils to have both their academic and vocational needs fulfilled.
Potential pupils audition in the spring/summer and start classes the following school year, if they receive a placement. The Dance course can be auditioned for from S1 and upward. The Preparatory Theatre course for musical theatre can be auditioned for in preparation for S3, and the Musical Theatre for S5/S6. Students are assessed throughout the year and progression through the school is dependent on their assessment grades.
Pupils go to the main building for academic lessons and have class with mainstream students. For subjects deemed not entirely necessary to their education, they return to the dance school and receive vocational training instead. Students in the Dance course study modern, jazz, national, tap and contemporary, with a primary focus on ballet. Musical Theatre and Preparatory Theatre receive tuition in dancing, singing, acting, and performance skills. The Musical Theatre Showcase is performed in November and a fully staged musical is performed (usually at The Citizen's Theatre, Glasgow) in June. The Dance Course's Showcase is performed in June (usually at The Theatre Royal, The King's Theatre or The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall)
If accepted pupils live too far away to travel from home on a daily basis, they can be offered a place at the school's nearby residential building to stay in during the week. Students stay in the residence from Sunday to Thursday inclusive. The residence is shared with students from the
Music School of Douglas Academy.
An Open Day for the Dance School School of Scotland is usually held in November.
Notable alumni
*
Botti Biabi, football player
*
John Fleck, football player
*
Jamie Murphy, football player
*
Alan Rough
Alan Roderick Rough (; born 25 November 1951) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He won 53 caps for Scotland and played in two FIFA World Cups. He also had a long club career, principally with Partick Thistle and Hibe ...
, football goalkeeper
*
William Sweeney, composer
*
Sharon Rooney
Sharon Rooney (born ) is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles as Rae Earl in ''My Mad Fat Diary'', Sophie in '' Two Doors Down'', Dawn in ''Brief Encounters'', and Miss Atlantis in the 2019 remake of ''Dumbo''.
Early life
Rooney was ...
, actress
*
Bill Forsyth
William David Forsyth (born 29 July 1946). known as Bill Forsyth, is a Scottish film director and writer known for his films ''Gregory's Girl'' (1981), '' Local Hero'' (1983) and '' Comfort and Joy'' (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Ma ...
, director
*
Eubha Akilade
Eubha Akilade ( ; born 27 June 1998) is a Scottish actress and dancer, known for her roles as Lily Watson on the CBBC series ''Eve'' (2015–2017) and Ines Le Breton on the Hulu series ''Find Me in Paris'' (2018–2020).
Early life
Akilade was ...
, actress and dancer
*
Mirren Mack
Mirren Mack (born 1997) is a Scottish actress, known for portraying Kaya on the BBC drama '' The Nest'', Florence in ''Sex Education'', Queenie in the National Theatre’s 2022 production of '' Small Island'', and Princess/Empress Merwyn in the ...
, actress
*
Gary Maclean
Gary Maclean is a Scottish chef, author and the first National Chef of Scotland.
Early life
Gary Maclean grew up in Knightswood, Glasgow and was educated at Knightswood Secondary School, where he first developed an interest in cooking through ...
, chef
References
External links
Knightswood Secondary School official pageDance School of Scotland official page
{{authority control
Category B listed buildings in Glasgow
Listed schools in Scotland
Secondary schools in Glasgow