| Established | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Type | Secondary School |
| Headteacher | Mr B.Cooklin |
| Deputy Headteacher | Paula Sweeten |
| Location | 140 Calderwood Road Rutherglen Glasgow G73 3BP Scotland |
| Local authority | South Lanarkshire |
| Staff | 91 FTE |
| Students | 1,141 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Dryburgh Jedburgh Kelso Melrose |
| Website | Stonelaw High School |
Stonelaw High School is a non-denominational state high school located in Rutherglen, Scotland near the city of Glasgow.
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It was established in August 1970 as a four-year school based in the former Rutherglen Academy building at the corner of Stonelaw Road and Melrose Avenue. Eventually Stonelaw High became a six-year school and was relocated to new premises on Calderwood Road, Rutherglen (1998). The current head teacher is Brian D. Cooklin.
There are around 91 FTE staff members.
Prior to 1970 a selective secondary education system existed in Scotland that involved two grades of secondary schools: Senior Secondaries, like Rutherglen & Hamilton Academies, and Junior Secondaries, like Gallowflat (mentioned below) and Gateside in nearby Cambuslang. At the heart of this selective system was an exam called the 11-Plus taken by all children in the last year of primary school. Those who passed the 11-Plus went to one of the Senior Secondaries (six-year schools) while all others attended one of the Junior Secondaries (four-year schools).
Senior Secondary pupils were expected to stay on at school until aged eighteen and proceed to some sort of tertiary education at university or college. Whereas Junior Secondary pupils had to leave school aged fifteen for jobs and/or apprenticeships, which were quite easy to come by in those days. Before 1972, fifteen was the minimum school leaving age in Scotland.
However, school session 1969-1970 saw the last of the 11-Plus. So, when Stonelaw High School first opened it was, like all Scottish state secondaries today, a comprehensive school. Comprehensive schools accept every secondary-age child regardless of his/her academic abilities, except children with special needs. These are catered for by schools like Rutherglen High, now attached to the new Cathkin High School in Holmhills Community Park, Cambuslang (opened 20 October 2008).
Stonelaw High School was first formed by merging some of the pupils already at Rutherglen Academy with pupils from Gallowflat Junior Secondary. But only those existing Academy pupils who had attended primary schools in Rutherglen were retained at the new Stonelaw High. Other Academy pupils who had been at primary schools in Cambuslang, Carmunnock and Burnside largely went up to the brand-new (1970) Cathkin High School then at the corner of East Kilbride Road and Western Road Whitlawburn (demolished 2009). Unlike Stonelaw, this new Cathkin High had all mod-cons, including a swimming pool. Subsequently, Stonelaw pupils wishing to do Highers or Certificates of Sixth-Year Studies (CSYS) - these being pre-university qualifications - transferred to Cathkin High for their last two years.
Stan Laurel (1890–1965) attended Stonelaw High School when it was called just Stonelaw School, as chiselled above the Melrose Avenue door of the current building, now a block of private flats called Academy Gate. Rutherglen Academy operated from 1925 until 1970.
The school operates a house system. The four houses Dryburgh, Jedburgh, Kelso, Melrose, named after local avenues which are in turn the names of abbeys in the Borders.
The school has many extra curricular activities and clubs including football, volleyball, a table tennis club , a cricket club and a soul band. They also have a junior band and senior band with full brass, woodwind and percussion sections. The music department also hosts a choir, brass ensamble and a recently started Samba band.
There is also a yearbook on sale for £15, the yearbook will be going round registration classes for fifth years to buy one, sixth year pupils should give their money to a yearbook member or at any lunchtime in Rm 25, English.