Kelvinside Academy is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

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, founded in 1878. It has a capacity of over 600 pupils and spans two years of Nursery, six years of Junior School (

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

), a transition year of Senior Preparatory, and six years of Senior School ( secondary school), comprising fifteen years in all. Kelvinside was founded as a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

and remained so until the late 1940s when, like many similar schools, it became 'grant-aided' until 1985 when it reverted to its fully independent roots once more. Formerly for boys only, the school became fully

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

in 1998.

The School

Kelvinside Academy is in the Kelvinside area of the north of Glasgow, near the

Glasgow Botanic Gardens Glasgow Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. It features several glasshouses, the most notable of which is the Kibble Palace. The Gardens has a wide variety of temperate and tropical flora, a ...

. It has a large main building, which is category A

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

and was designed by

James Sellars James Sellars (2 December 1843 – 9 October 1888) was a Scottish architect who was heavily influenced by the work of Alexander Greek Thomson. Life He was born in the Gorbals in Glasgow, son of James Sellars, house factor and Elizabeth ...

, with some modern additions. The original building was opened on 2 September 1878 and cost £21,698 11s; this included the construction of both roads and sewers. The School crest shows

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Rom ...

with the motto ''ΑΙΕΝ ΑΡΙΣΤΕΥΕΙΝ'' which translates as "Ever To Be The Best". This has also been given a "modern" translation of "The Best You Can Be". Minerva appears prominently in carved stone above the main entrance, and in a bronze medallion set in the perimeter wall. Unlike many of the surrounding buildings, the School retains much of its original

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

fences despite the metal shortages during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. There is a well-established house system, which divides all the pupils into four different houses, each represented by a colour: red for Stewart House, yellow for Buchanan House, green for MacGregor House and blue for Colquhoun. The School opened a new Nursery at its Balgray Campus in August 2013. In 2018, Kelvinside merged with Craigholme School to form th
Glasgow Schools Trust
which was created to share resources between both schools and preserve both schools due to falling pupil numbers.

Notable alumni and staff

* John Joy Bell, journalist and author * Robert Browning, Byzantinist * Brigadier General

John Charteris Brigadier General John Charteris (1877–1946) was a British Army officer. During World War I he was the Chief of Intelligence at the British Expeditionary Force General Headquarters from 1915 to 1918. In later life he was a Unionist Party Memb ...

Sir Hugh Fraser, 2nd Baronet Sir Hugh Fraser, 2nd Baronet (18 December 1936 – 5 May 1987), formerly 2nd Baron Fraser of Allander, was chairman of the House of Fraser, Harrods, George Outram and Company, and Whyte and Mackay. He lived at Mugdock, near Milngavie, Scotland. ...

, of the House of Fraser

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

chain (1936–1987) * Richie Gray, Scottish International Rugby Union player currently playing for Glasgow Warriors * Brigadier

Alastair Pearson Brigadier Alastair "Jock" Stevenson Pearson, (1 June 1915 – 29 March 1996) was a baker, farmer and one of the most highly regarded soldiers of the Parachute Regiment and the British Army who served in the Second World War. Early life P ...

, Parachute Regiment, DSO***, MC * Air Vice Marshal

Sandy Johnstone Air Vice Marshal Alexander Vallance Riddell Johnstone, (2 June 1916 – 13 December 2000) was a Scottish airman. He served as a Royal Air Force squadron, wing and station commander during the Second World War and the commander of Commonwealth for ...

* James Broom Millar – first Director General of the

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was established by law in 1968 with a triple mandate as a State Broadcaster, Public Service Broadcaster, and a Commercial Broadcaster in Ghana. Headquartered in the capital city, Accra, it is funded by gra ...

(1954–1960) * Boyd Muir, EVP & CFO, President of Operations, Universal Music Group *

Ian Livingston, Baron Livingston of Parkhead Ian Paul Livingston, Baron Livingston of Parkhead (born 28 July 1964), is a Scottish people, Scottish businessman who was formerly Chief executive officer, chief executive of BT Group. A Conservative Party (UK), Conservative member of the Hous ...

* Sir

George Macdonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational church, Congregational Minister (Christianity), minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature a ...

, archaeologist, teacher at the school 1887–1892 * Sir Donald MacDougall, economist * Donald Orr, cricketer * Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry (1944–2011) * Craig Wright, cricketer. * Sandy Wylie, Lord Kinclaven, Judge of the Supreme Courts * Scott Cummings, Scottish International Rugby Union player currently playing for

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

* Douglas Gairdner, paediatrician * Rennie Keith, cricketer * Lorne Crerar Chair and founding partner Harper Macleod Professor of Banking Law

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

* Colin Neill Former President Cricket Scotland, Current Chairman of The Forty Club

Related publications

* ''Kelvinside Academy, 1878–1978'' by Colin Mackay * ''Kelvinside Academy, 1878–1923'' by William Brodie * ''Kelvinside Academy, 1878–1928'' by David Morrice Low
Minerva
termly newsletter

References

External links

Kelvinside Academy

* ttp://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/FriendsReunited.asp?wci=Register&type=Register&school_key=139439 Friends Reunited page for Kelvinside Academy(registration required)
Kelvinside Academical Club

Kelvinside Academy's page on Scottish Schools Online

Sources

* * * http://pmsa.courtauld.ac.uk/pmsa/GW/KS-002.htm * https://archive.today/20130421040234/http://www.schoolsguidebook.co.uk/schools/Kelvinside_Academy.html * {{authority control School buildings completed in 1878 Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Educational institutions established in 1878 Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Independent schools in Glasgow James Sellars buildings 1878 establishments in Scotland