Paisley Grammar School
| Established | 1576 |
|---|---|
| Type | Grammar School |
| Head Teacher | Caroline Amos |
| Location |
Glasgow Road Paisley Renfrewshire PA1 3RP Scotland Coordinates: 55°50′47″N 4°24′41″W / 55.8463°N 4.4115°W |
| Local authority | Renfrewshire Council |
| Staff | 100 Full-time staff |
| Students | 945 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Houses | Mull, Skye, Iona and Lewis |
| Colours | |
| Publication | The Grammarian |
| Website |
www |
Paisley Grammar School is a secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 by royal charter of King James VI and is situated on Glasgow Road. The school is recognised as one of Scotland's oldest schools with an established history.
The present school building (which was called the 'Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy' due to a bequest by the former Member of Parliament for Paisley, William B. Barbour, and until recently was the school's proper title) was opened in 1898 by Lord Balfour of Burleigh, then Secretary of State for Scotland.
The school was fee paying until the mid-1960s and in 1986, when threatened with imminent closure by Strathclyde Regional Council, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher intervened personally to ensure the survival of the school. The law was changed so that local councils could no longer close schools which were more than 80% full without approval by the Secretary of State for Scotland.
The current Head Teacher is Caroline Amos who will step down from her post in August 2015 after over nine years. Her replacement is not yet known.
Notable former pupils
Notable former pupils include:
- Simon Cassidy – Entrepreneur - Founder of "Girls Gone Wild"
- Colin Campbell – former Member of the Scottish Parliament (SNP)
- Rev James Carlile (1795–1841) – Irish Commissioner of National Education
- Alasdair Fraser – aquaculture pioneer and businessman
- Fred Goodwin – former CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland
- Peter Howitt (1970) – actor and film writer/director
- Omer Hussain – Scottish cricket internationalist
- John Jackson (1887–1958) – astronomer
- Jacqui Lait (née Harkness) – former Member of Parliament (Conservative) and first ever female Conservative Party Whip
- Lord McEwan – former Judge in Scottish Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary.
- Ann McKechin – Member of Parliament (Labour)
- John Macquarrie (1919–2007) – sometime Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford, and Canon Residentiary, Christ Church, Oxford
- Alexander Munro MacRobert KC (1873–1930) – former Lord Advocate and Member of Parliament (Conservative)
- Jim Mather – former Member of the Scottish Parliament (SNP)
- Andrew Neil – journalist and broadcaster
- Simon R. Taylor – novelist
- David Nish – Chief Executive of Standard Life plc
- Brian Reid – former professional footballer and present manager of Ayr United Football Club.
- Andrew Robertson (businessman) – former President of the Montreal Board of Trade etc.
- Suhayl Saadi – author and dramatist
- Brian Smith – former professional cyclist
- David Stow
- David Tennant – actor, (the tenth Doctor in Doctor Who)
- Kenyon Wright – former Chairman of the Scottish Constitutional Convention
- Lord Wylie (1923–2005) – former Lord Advocate and former Member of Parliament (Scottish Unionist Party)
- Kenny Ireland (1945-2014) Theatre Director & Actor, notable for his role as Donald in ITV's Benidorm.
- Martin Doherty Only known male victim of Gary Glitter and president of the Jonathan King fan club.
Jack Copland Professional footballer with Stranraer, Dundee United and St Mirren
Old Grammarians
The Old Grammarians Club is the society formed by and for former pupils and staff of Paisley Grammar School.[1]
Mrs Nan Atherton is the current president who was elected to office in 2012.[2]
Past presidents include Mr J Melvyn Haggarty (2012) who also served as Principal Teacher of History in Paisley Grammar between 1975–2006 and is an honorary member.
John Pears, Rector from 1995 - 2006, is also an honorary member and is the current Rector Emeritus. He also is the current past President of Paisley Rotary Club.
The Old Grammarians Club also contributes to the school's annual prize giving; giving the Old Grammarians Prize to one pupil in the sixth year.