Dunoon Grammar School

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Location
Dunoon Grammar School

Dunoon, Argyll, Scotland
Information
Head Teacher	Mr. J. Rhodes
Students	1030 approx.
Teaching staff	60 approx.
Type	Comprehensive Secondary
Established	1641
Homepage	Dunoon Grammar Official Site

Dunoon Grammar School is a secondary school in Dunoon, Argyll in Scotland. It has a long and proud history of over 360 years and boasts many well-known former pupils.

It is a non-denominational comprehensive school which covers all stages from S1 to S6 (ages 12-18).

The brand new school building, which took two years to complete is located on Ardenslate Road and was opened to pupils and staff in August 2007. This state of the art facility consists of a main teaching block complete with two gymnasia, a fitness suite, dance studio, assembly hall, technology & technical areas and music rooms. There is a suite of rooms, purpose built for education of pupils with additional support needs. Specialised rooms include computer rooms, technology lab, specialised Graphic Communication room, drama suite, library, Modern Language rooms with audio equipment. There is extensive computer provision throughout the school. Two astroturf sports pitches are to be built on the site of the old school building which was demolished in August/September 2007. These will be used for both hockey and football. The pitches will be serviced by training floodlights.

The present building is the third Grammar School building in Dunoon. The first was in Hillfoot Street in the town and the second was built on Ardenslate Road adjacent to where the latest facility is located. The Hillfoot Street premises became Dunoon Primary School when the newer building was built on Ardenslate Road in the 1960's.

The agreed pupil capacity of the school is 1150. It presently (2006) has around 1030 pupils and somewhere in the region of 70 staff.

[edit] Past pupils

John Smith - Was a British politician who served as leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden and unexpected death from a heart attack on 12 May 1994.

George Robertson - Former Labour Party politician and Secretary-General of NATO from 1999-2004.

Brian Wilson - Former Labour Party politician.

John Jackson MacKay - Conservative Member of Parliament, Deputy speaker of the House of Lords and titled Baron MacKay of Ardbrecknish

Eric Campbell - Hollywood film star and associate of Charlie Chaplin.

Sylvester McCoy - Actor famous for playing the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who.

Reverend Donald Caskie - A former Church of Scotland Minister in Paris, he helped an estimated 2,000 Allied Servicemen escape from occupied France during World War II. Also known as the Tartan Pimpernel.