| Type | Independent day school |
|---|---|
| Religion | Non-denominational Christian |
| Rector | David Girdwood |
| Chairman | David R Ward |
| Location | Duchal Road Kilmacolm Renfrewshire PA13 4AU United Kingdom |
| Students | 730 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 5–18 |
| Houses | Craigmarloch, Duchal, Killalan, Strathgryffe |
| Colours | Green, Blue |
| Publications | The Columban |
| Affiliations | Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference |
| Website | School website |
St Columba's School is an independent day school in the village of Kilmacolm in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. St Columba's was founded in 1897 as a school of girls and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference group of schools.
St. Columba's is a non-denominational school, open to all religions but has strong Christian roots.
Today the school provides both primary and secondary education between its Junior and Senior Schools for around 730 pupils between the ages of five and eighteen years. St Columba's generally draws its pupils from its own county of Renfrewshire or the neighbouring county of Ayrshire.
The school was named The Sunday Times' "School of the Year" in 2004/05 after attaining the best examination results of any school in Scotland. The present Rector is Mr David Girdwood.
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The preparatory school at St Columba's was formerly located at Shieldhall on Bridge of Weir Road. Boarders were once accepted and accommodated in Shallott, the current junior school building. The junior school was then located at Shieldhall on the Bridge of Weir Road. During the Second World War, Shieldhall was utilised as dormatories for evacuees from other schools, particularly those also owned by the Girls' Schools Company.[1]
St Columba's became co-educational in 1982.
The senior school is located on Duchal Road to the north of Kilmacolm's village centre. The junior school and new sports facilities are located on Birkmyre Park.
The main buildings of the senior school are to be radically renovated in the near future, pending planning permission. The first stage of these renovations involves the demolition of two adjacent houses in Gryffe Road and the construction of a long two storey high building consisting of new classrooms, administrative offices and staff facilities. The school has already purchased two adjacent buildings to be used to this end. The second stage of these renovations involves the demolition of the school's ageing science block to make way for a two storey high circular auditorium to be joined to the new building constructed during stage one of the renovations .
There is also an astroturf playing field nearby to the senior school
St Columba's fields a number of teams to complete competitively against other schools in the area, most notably rugby union and hockey. In the summer months, athletics and cricket are also played. The school also has a very active debating society, which over the last few years has done exceptionally in a number of competitions across Scotland.
The school's academic results in 2005 were considered the best in Scotland on the basis of Higher passes.[2] Other measures for example those including Standard Grade performance also saw the school performing exceptionally.
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