Portobello High School

Portobello High School is a large secondary school in the east of Edinburgh, (despite the name) just outside of the town, Portobello. With 1450 pupils it is one of the largest state schools in Edinburgh and Scotland. The building is also one of the largest buildings in Edinburgh, however it is in a state of disrepair and is nominated for demolition. Portobello High School's current headteacher is Ms. Peigi MacArthur.

Curriculum

The school currently teaches a wide range of subjects. These include Drama, Music, CDT, Maths, Computing, English, RE, Science (Chemistry, Physics and Biology), Art, HE, Geography, Modern Studies, History, Administration, Business Management, Spanish and French.

Building

The building of Portobello High School is 8 floors high (not including the ground) with numerous extensions and additional annex buildings, including 2 gymnasiums, music department and school houses.

EcoSchool

Portobello High School is considered an EcoSchool and has won three consecutive Green Flag awards in 2003, 2005 and 2007. They became the first school in Scotland to achieve all three green flags.

Notable alumni

*Gary Dunion, politician
*Gail Porter, TV Personality
* Kenny Anderson, boxer (Commonwealth Gold Medallist)
* Phil Cunningham, musician
* Ewen Bremner, actor;
* John Robertson, footballer/manager

The Case for the New School

There were three plans for developing the a new school building. Plan A was to demolish the old school building and rebuilding it on the current site, Plans B and C both involved rebuilding the school on the local golf course [http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/sustainabledevelopment/climatechange/images/PortobelloHighSchoolEcoScho_tcm4-436875.jpg]

External links

* [http://www.scottishschoolsonline.gov.uk/schools/portobellohighschooledinburghcity.asp Portobello High School's page on Scottish Schools Online]