Lasswade High School Centre
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| Lasswade High School | |
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| Address | |
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11 Eskdale Drive , , EH19 2LA Scotland | |
| Information | |
| Type | State secondary |
| Motto | Usque Conabor (I will strive to my utmost) |
| Established | 17th century |
| Head teacher | Campbell Hornell |
| Years | S1 to S6 |
| Number of students | 1,600 |
| Houses | St. Leonard's, St. Anne's, Mount Esk and Melville |
| Colour(s) | Strictly Black, White with school tie |
| School Tie Colours | St Leonard's: black tie with green stripe St Anne's: black tie with red stripe Mount Esk: black tie with gold stripe Melville: black tie with blue stripe |
| Website | lasswadehsc |
Lasswade High School is a non-denominational secondary state school in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, Scotland.
History[edit]
A parish school was first established in the village of Lasswade in 1615, run by the schoolmaster, Andrew Watson, from a cottage at the mouth of the Spout Burn.[1][2] Over the following two-and-a-half centuries the school was administered with assistance from the kirk session. One of the most notable schoolmasters during this period was the poet and scholar William Tennant, who was appointed in 1816 and subsequently became Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of St Andrews.[2] In the 1860s and 1870s, under the aegis of Robert Marshall, the school acquired a reputation for excellence as a higher-grade school, at a time when elementary education was made compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 13.[2]
From this era onwards, the school frequently sought to cater for increasing pupil numbers by building new accommodation. In 1843 a two-room schoolhouse was opened, which the New Statistical Account of Scotland described as "a spacious and elegant building" where Latin, Greek, French and mathematics were taught (albeit at a fee that was "very considerable in amount").[3] Nearly forty years later, in 1881, the school moved premises to a much larger building at the top of School Brae, where the secondary-level pupils were instructed separately from the younger cohorts.[1] In 1956, Lasswade Senior Secondary School (as it was now known) transferred to yet another new building, this time located in the nearby town of Bonnyrigg, with improvements and extensions opened in 1978 to provide classrooms for the Business Studies, Home Economics, Music, Art & Design, Science and Craft, Design & Technology departments, as well as a Library, Computer Room, Kitchen, Dining Room and Sports Centre. Lasswade was further developed as a community school in 1979, and a new Mathematics and Support wing was formally opened by the Education Minister, Jack McConnell, in 2000.[4]
In 2009 it was announced that a new Lasswade High School Community Campus was to be built, with construction beginning in October 2011 on the site of the old school's playing fields. The school re-opened in 2013 as the Lasswade Centre, with ceremonial duties performed by the then First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond.[1] The new building cost £38 million to complete, and contains 90 classrooms to accommodate around 1,500 pupils.[1] The facility also has a purpose-built Sports Centre, which comprises a games hall, squash courts, fitness training rooms, activity movement studio, cafeteria, creche and spacious playing fields.
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Fittest School in Britain 2009[edit]
The school took the top prize in the Fitter Schools Challenge,[5] in which 3,000 UK schools put their sporting prowess to the test. The school was presented with a trophy and £10,000 worth of sports equipment by Olympian Roger Black. The challenge was open to first and second year pupils at every school in the UK. Each school had to complete in three challenges which tested their skills and stamina. Pupils were asked to complete a shuttle run, which tested their ability to accelerate and change direction. They were also challenged to see how many star jumps they could do in a minute.[6]
Links with China and South Africa[edit]
In recent years, the school has developed educational links with Tianlin No 3 Middle School in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The collaboration is part of a wider initiative to develop a closer relationship between Scotland and China, and will include teacher and pupil exchanges as well as using e-mail and the internet to develop joint projects.[5][7]
Eco-Schools[edit]
Following a visit by an Eco-Schools inspection team in 2008, Lasswade High was awarded the Green Flag environmental award.[8]
Notable former pupils[edit]
- James Edward Tierney Aitchison (1835–1898), surgeon and botanist
- A. J. Aitken (1921–1998), lexicographer; scholar of the Scots language.
- Christopher Anderson (1782–1852), theologian.
- Paul Frederick de Quincey (1828–1894), soldier and politician in New Zealand; son of Thomas De Quincey
- Sean Fraser (born 1990), swimmer and bronze medallist at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.[9]
- Sir James Arnot Hamilton (1923–2012), aircraft designer; Director-General of the Concorde aviation project for the Ministry of Technology (1966–1970).[10]
- Gary Locke (born 1975), professional footballer.[11]
- Canon Stewart Mallin (1924–2000), Episcopalian cleric, Dean of Moray, Ross and Caithness (1983–1991).
- Gary Mason (born 1979), professional footballer.
- Brian McCabe (born 1951), author and poet, editor of the Edinburgh Review (2004–2011).
- Paul F. McMillan (1956–2022), Sir William Ramsay Professor of Chemistry, University College London (2008–2022).[12][13]
- Gary Naysmith (born 1978), professional footballer.[14]
- David Pryde (1890–1959), Labour MP, 1945–1959.
- Graeme Randall (born 1975), former World Judo champion (1999).[15]
- Pat Semple (1939–2021), landscape artist.[16]
- Richard Baird Smith (1818–1861), army officer in the East India Company; chief engineer at the Siege of Delhi in 1857.
- Craig Thomson (born 1991), professional footballer.[17]
- Albert Watson (born 1942), fashion photographer.
- Steven Whittaker (born 1984), professional footballer.
- Peter Wright (born 1967), former rugby union international.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Lasswade Centre (Lasswade High School), Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ a b c Jim Murray (February 2017), "A Brief History of Education in the Parish of Lasswade". Bonnyrigg and Lasswade Local History Society. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Rev. M. Campbell Mackenzie, "Parish of Lasswade, County of Edinburgh". New Statistical Account of Scotland, Volume I (1845), p. 336. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Homepage : Background to Lasswade High School Centre". Lasswade.info. Archived from the original on 15 July 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ a b "School friendships can last a lifetime - FM". Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- ^ "Pupils run off with fitness prize - Edinburgh, East & Fife". The Scotsman. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ "A Chinese getaway to help pupils build links - Education". The Scotsman. 16 October 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ http://www.midlothianadvertiser.co.uk/news/Lasswade-High-School-flies-flag.4974501.jp [dead link]
- ^ "Loanhead swimmer Sean Fraser in Paralympic medal hope - Local Sport". Midlothian Advertiser. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ "Sir James Arnot Hamilton". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "Gary Locke - Hearts Career - from 8 May 1993 to 2 Jan 2001". Londonhearts.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ James, Frank A. J. L. (5 July 2017). 'The Common Purposes of Life': Science and Society at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Taylor & Francis. p. 380. ISBN 978-1-351-96317-6.
- ^ 'Paul Francis McMillan'. Academia Europaea: The Academy of Europe. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ "Sheffield United | Gary Naysmith". Sheffield United F.C. 15 October 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ "The Scottish Parliament - Health and Sport Committee Official Report". Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ Tristram Clarke (21 June 2021), 'Obituary: Pat Semple, acclaimed artist and inspirational teacher'. The Scotsman. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ "Craig Thomson | Hearts". Heartsfc.premiumtv.co.uk. 9 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
External links[edit]
55°52′26″N 3°07′02″W / 55.87378°N 3.1172°W
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