Paisley Grammar School

Paisley Grammar School, situated on Glasgow Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, and dating from 1576, is a Scottish non-denominational state school.

Also known as the William B. Barbour academy due to a bequest by the former member of parliament for the town (1885 - 1891). The foundation stone of the new building, which was called the 'Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy', was laid in 1896 and until recently this was the school's proper title. The new school building was opened in 1898 by Balfour of Burleigh, then secretary of state for Scotland. Descendents of William Barbour still attend the school today.

The school was fee paying until the mid 1960's and in 1986 when threatened with imminent closure by Strathclyde Regional Council, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher intervened personally to ensure the survival of the school. The law was changed so that local councils could no longer close schools which were more than 80% full without approval by the Secretary of State for Scotland. Soon after the council was forced to drop its plans.

Notable former pupils

Notable former pupils include:

*David Tennant – (formerly David McDonald); Actor (The current Doctor in "Doctor Who")
*Andrew Neil – Journalist and broadcaster
*Colin Campbell – (Scottish politician) former Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament
*Kenyon Wright (Chairman) of the Scottish Constitutional Convention
*Fred Goodwin – CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland
*John Macquarrie – sometime Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford, and Canon Residentiary, Christ Church, Oxford
*Omer Hussain – Scottish cricket internationalist
*Ann McKechin – MP Glasgow North
*Martin Smith – politician
*Douglas Alexander – Labour Member of Parliament
*Brian Reid – Former footballer Morton, Nottingham Forest, Rangers, Queen of the South
*Jacqui Lait – Politician and first Conservative female Whip.

Rectors

There have been many Rectors of this prestigious school over its history including George Aimer Russell at the turn of the 20th century, and, more recently, John Clarke OBE (1937 - 1956), Ninian A. Jamieson (1956 - 1966), Robert Y. Corbett (1966 - 1988), Hugh H Nisbet (1988 - 1995) and John C Pears (1995 - 2006). Hugh Nisbet is also a former pupil of the school. John Pears and Hugh Nisbet are the only two current living former Rectors of the school.

Clubs and societies

The school offers a wide variety of clubs and activities for the pupils, including:

*Rugby S1&2/S3&4/S5&6
*Theatregoers S6
*Prayer Group
*Scripture Union S5&6
*X-Factor S1 – S3
*Hockey S4 – S6
*Lifelines S1&2
*Quiz Club S1 – S6
*Heartstart S1 – S3
*Puzzle Club S1
*Science Club S1&2
*Basketball S1 – S3
*Fair Trade S1 – S6
*Skiing S1 – S6
*Netball S1&2 S3-S6
*Football (girls) S1 – S6
*Debating Club S3 – S6
*Duke of Edinburgh S3&4
*Football (boys) S1 – S6
*Badminton S1&2
*Junior choir
*Senior Choir
*Guitar Orchestra

Paisley Grammar does annual school shows.

Uniform

The School has a strict uniform policy:
*White or light blue blouse or shirt
*School tie
*Navy blue or black skirt
*Black tailored trousers
*Navy blue pullover or v-necked sweatshirt
*Black shoes
*Navy blue blazer with school badge

External links

* [http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishschoolsonline/schools/paisleygrammarschoolrenfrewshire.asp Paisley Grammar School's page on Scottish Schools Online]