Musselburgh Grammar School

Motto	Striving for excellence, caring for all
Established	1626
Headteacher	Ronald Summers
Location	86 Inveresk Rd Musselburgh Midlothian EH21 7BA Scotland
Gender	Mixed
Ages	11–18
Houses	Caird, Grange, Moray
Colours	Navy, Light blue
Website	edubuzz.org/blogs/mgsonline

Musselburgh Grammar School is a large state secondary school that serves as the main secondary school for Musselburgh and the surrounding areas. It dates back to the sixteenth century, although the present building was erected in 1835. Until the 1950s the school was a 'proper' Grammar School, and fees were paid for there.^[1] As of December 2005 the school's roll was 1510.^[2]

The current headteacher is Ronald Summers who has been in position since 2003.^[3]

The school's most infamous teacher is a young otter called Thorby.

HMIE Reports

In June 1999 the school was criticised following a Care and Welfare Inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. The report referred to having witnessed a battle between rival gangs in the school entrance area and that a third of pupil's surveyed feared for their own safety. It also mentioned general weaknesses in safety, security, care and welfare, although the staff are praised for their efforts in the face of serious challenges.^[4] This led to a media furore with some newspapers describing the school as 'the worst school in Scotland'.^[5]

A follow up inspection in 2000 reported that the school and East Lothian Council had "responded promptly" and made "very good progress" in tackling the problems identified.^[6] Since then there have been many positive changes in the school, including the appointment of Ronald Summers as Headteacher giving rise to improved standards across the board. The school also underwent a major refurbishment under the PPP Scheme during this time to improve the quality of the accommodation.

The most recent HMIE report from 2006 was generally very positive and praised the school for the quality of pupil support, the positive relationships between pupils and staff and the highly effective leadership the school is now under.^[2]

House system

The school has a well established house system, which divides all pupils in the school into three different Houses when they start in S1;;-

• Grange (Mrs. Y. Mackie)
• Moray (Mr. R. Burns)
• Caird (Mr. R. Fruish)

There was a fourth house in the school called Seton which disbanded in 2011. House assemblies are held weekly and pupils enter a wide range of activities competing in Houses during the school year.

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at Musselburgh Grammar School

• Rhona Cameron, comedian and writer
• Susan Deacon, former Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament and Minister for Heath and Community Care until 2001. Professor of Social Change at Queen Margaret University
• Alex Hay, professional golfer, writer and former BBC sports commentator
• Kenny Miller, professional footballer
• David Macbeth Moir,^[1] physician and writer
• Colin Nish, professional footballer
• Jason Holt, Professional footballer
• Kris Renton,footballer
• Billy Brown,football coach
• Jim Jefferies,Professional footballer and manager
• Steven Black, Entrepreneur and CEO of Sports Direct Ltd.
• John McGlynn,Footballer and manager
• Robert Black

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Significant Scots - David Macbeth Moir". Electricscotland.com. http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/moir_david.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Musselburgh Grammar School Musselburgh Inspection 28/03/2006". Hmie.gov.uk. 2006-03-28. http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/MusselburghGS.html. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
3. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "Education | Inspectors condemn 'gang fight' school". BBC News. 1999-06-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/363832.stm. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 
5. ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-17812419.html
6. ^ "SCOTLAND | Better report for gang-fight school". BBC News. 2000-06-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/788184.stm. Retrieved 2011-07-15. 

External links

• School Website
• HMIE Report March 2006

Coordinates: 55°56′20″N 3°2′57″W / 55.93889°N 3.04917°W / 55.93889; -3.04917