Bannerman High School

Bannerman High School is a high school in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.

History

There was fierce debate as to the naming of the school. The names put forward were

*Garrowhill High School
*Baillieston High School
*Scott-Maxwell High School
*Bannerman High School (BHS)

Garrowhill High School should have been the default name due to its geographical location. It could however equally have been argued that it area was part of the original "Lands of Baillieston". Many senior citizens felt that the school should have been named after JM Scott-Maxwell who owned the land and had been highly respected as a local benefactor in the area the up to his death in 1952. In the end it was the schools architect Charles Bannerman's name that was adopted.

The school was viewed by many as the replacement to Baillieston Junior Secondary School which burned down by vandals in 1972. This was only partly true as it was on the drawing board in the late 1960s and had been proposed by Lanarkshire County Council in the mid 1960s.

Many teachers were temporarily relocated in other schools with the Old Monklands District with their pupils, and then returned to the new school. One year later in 1975 the school was transferred into Glasgow with the rest of Baillieston as local government reorganisation.

Recent years

Bannerman High School is a non-denominational, co-educational school taking pupils from S1 - S6. It has a capacity for 1400 pupils and a current roll of 1344 made up of (circa session 2006/2007):

*S1 - 270
*S2 - 266
*S3 - 274
*S4 - 275
*S5 - 187
*S6 - 72

Due to the sheer size of the school roll, Bannerman employs approximately 100 teaching staff.

The school was opened in 1973 and is essentially composed of 3 linked buildings - a 2-level classroom block, a single level Administration/Physical Education/Technical and Music block and a dining and pupil support block to the rear of the school. The school is set in its own substantial grounds that include playing fields. The school has its own workshop theatre and a large games hall, as well as the usual academic and practical classroom areas. Facilities for pupils with physical disabilities are in place. The school was fully refurbished and upgraded during the course of 2002, as part of a city-wide PFI project. A unit for young people on the Autistic spectrum opened in the school in August 2000.

The Bannerman uniform consists of a plain white shirt, black trousers and shoes and a purple striped tie. For upper school (S5-S6) pupils the tie is completely purple with a single white stripe bearing the school's logo. It was proposed that a new sweatshirt should be introduced with the school's motto, "Cogitationis poenam nemo patitur" surrounding the BHS logo.

A self-service cafeteria operates pre-school, at morning intervals and lunchtimes.

Autism unit

The autism unit caters for pupils at present from S1-S6. The pupils are on the autistic spectrum, most having diagnoses of Asperger's Syndrome. The Autism Unit focuses on integrating pupils into mainstream classes at a pace which is comfortable for the pupil; this is usually done in a number of stages:

*1: Introduction to subject matter in "Unit"
*2: Introduction to mainstream class with support from unit staff
*3: Gradual withdrawal of in-class support at pace appropriate to pupil
*4: Complete withdrawal of in-class support if/when pupil is deemed ready

Support in the unit provides pupils with practice in:
*core skills
*language
*communication skills

as well as providing opportunities for consolidation of classwork.

External links

* [http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/GoingtoSchool/Secondary/Schools/Non-Denominational/bannermanhigh.htm Bannerman High School at the Profile on the City of Glasgow website]
* [http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishschoolsonline/schools/bannermanhighschoolglasgowcity.asp Bannerman High's page on Scottish Schools Online]