| Motto | Working Togther To Achieve Our Best |
|---|---|
| Established | 1982 |
| Type | Secondary School |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Headteacher | Vincent Docherty |
| School Chaplain | Rev J Dean |
| Depute Head Teacher(s) | Mr V Collins, Mr J Doyle, Mr B Brady |
| Location | 2 Arrochar Street Glasgow G23 5LY Scotland |
| Local authority | Glasgow City |
| DfE number | 845/8731 |
| Staff | 51.4 FTE |
| Students | 727 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Colours | Blue, White, Yellow |
| Website | John Paul Academy |
John Paul Academy, is a Roman Catholic secondary school in the residential Area of Summerston in Glasgow. It mainly serves the areas of Summerston, Maryhill, Ruchill, Possilpark and Milton districts of Glasgow and has a rough capacity of 800 pupils. The Catchment area for the school has changed since the mid-late 1990s; the areas of Ruchill, Possilpark and Milton were provided by St Augustine's Roman Catholic Secondary School within Milton area, whilst the areas of Bearsden and Milngavie had their children of Catholic denomination taught at JPA.
Opened in 1982 by the then Strathclyde Regional Council it is named after Pope John Paul II who visited Glasgow and hosted an open-air mass in Bellahouston Park during that year.
The School's motto - In Scientia Caritas Abundet, "In Knowledge May Goodness Abound", can be found on the school crest. It consists of the Pope's Episcopal Mitre, The Eagle of Saint John and Saint Paul's sword.
The original head teacher was the late Mr Eamon Rafferty. His post was then taken up by Miss Mary Weeple until she announced her decision to retire in 2007. Until session 2008/09, the temporary head teacher was Dr Charles Docherty PHD, who has also now retired. Mr Vincent Docherty, formerly Depute Head of St Andrew's in Clydebank, has been in the post almost 3 years and led significant change and improvement in the school.
In 2002 the school was closed for almost a month due to a fire which started during school hours, all pupils were evacuated safely without any injury.
In recent years the school has seen a rise in Standard Grade pass rates. Attainment at Higher level has also improved. The school's present campus officer, PC Peter Glancy, along with the work of an enhanced Pupil Support team and the creation of Pupil Support Leaders have all but eliminated the suspension and exclusion rate by employing a restorative and pupil centered approach to supporting pupils needs. The school has recently welcomed pupils from the now closed St Joan of Arc School into a dedicated unit within the school. This unit provides support for young people with additional learning needs who benefit from access to mainstream classes, with specialist support.
3ED, the company in charge of the refurbishment of all 29 of Glasgow's Secondary Schools completed their refurbishment of John Paul in 2003, making a vast improvement to the school.
In 2009, John Paul Academy gained the status of 'Most improved school in the Local Authority' and in 2010, Sycol accreditation as a 'Solutions Oriented School'.
In 2011 Sir Tom Hunter visited senior pupils studying a Leadership course.
The school has a growing network of subject blogs and is leading the way in the use of social web tools such as Twitter in the local authority.
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