Menzieshill High School

Menzieshill High School

The school building and surrounding area
Established 1972
Closed 1 July 2016[1]
Type Secondary School
Religion any
Head Teacher Helen Gray
Deputy Head Teachers T Stewart
L Waddell
K Archer
L Chacko
Business Manager K Richardson
Location Yarrow Terrace
Dundee
Dundee City Council (formerly Tayside)
DD2 4DW
Scotland
Local authority Dundee City Council
Students 596 (2013)
Gender Mixed
Ages 11–18
Houses Fortingall
Weem
Culdares
Aberfeldy
Colours Red green
School years S1 – S6
Contact no 01382 435677
Fax No 01382 435677
Website menzieshillhighschool.ea.dundeecity.sch.uk

Established in 1971, Menzieshill High School is a co-educational secondary school located in the Menzieshill area of Dundee, Scotland. The current head teacher is Helen Gray. In November 2014, the Dundee City Council made a proposal to close the school and after a vote made by the council in June 2015, the school has been set to close in the same month of the next year.

History

Closure

Demonstration outside Dundee City Chambers

In November 2014, Dundee City Council proposed to close Menzieshill High School and move the pupils to Harris Academy in 2016, when the new Harris building on Perth Road has been built. The public consultation closed on 27 February 2015 and a final decision on whether to close the school was made on 22 June 2015 where 18 councillors voted in favour of the closure with 14 councillors against. Menzieshill Reverend Bob Mallinson said he would keep the fight going on and take it to parliament, but the government did not approve nor debate on the issue, confirming that the school will close as scheduled.[2]

A senior SNP councillor has said pupils would enjoy "better facilities" if they move to Harris Academy.[3]

There was an ongoing Save Menzieshill High campaign which aimed to persuade the council to save the school. A public meeting was organised at Menzieshill Parish Church with the support of the Dundee branch of the Scottish Socialist Party and non-partisan local activists.[4][5] Dozens of parents and pupils went on to demonstrate outside Dundee City Chambers while the council was setting its budget on 12 February.[6]

Pupils

The school caters for six hundred pupils aged between eleven-and-a-half to eighteen in First to Sixth Year, and admits those who live in the Gowrie Park, Menzieshill, Charleston, Lochee and Dryburgh catchment areas of Dundee, as well as the villages of Longforgan and Inchture. This area consists of a mixture of privately owned and council housing. The feeder primary schools are:

Houses

Pupils at the school are organised into four houses: Aberfeldy, Fortingall, Weem and Culdares which are all named after Scottish villages associated with Clan Menzies.[7] Pupils are placed into a house randomly upon admission, or depending on previous or current family allegiances. Points can be won for the houses by winning sporting events or being involved in charity work, as well as other extra curricular activities on the school's behalf with the aim to compete for the House Championship.

Classes are arranged using House Names and Year Numbers, for example. 1F2 Translates to 1st Year, Fortingall House, Class 2 3W1 Translates to 3rd Year, Weem House, Class 1 5A1 Translates to 5th Year, Aberfeldy House, Class 1

Badge and colours

The School Badge consists of a red, equilateral triangle supported by two grey trapezoids. The triangle represents the school; it is equilateral to show the school's commitment to equality of opportunity (as one of Dundee's first comprehensive schools, it did not select its pupils based on academic ability). The trapezoids represent the buildings immediately surrounding the school in Menzieshill, many of which are grey and trapezoidal, whilst the green represents the abundant grassland that characterizes the area. The badge, therefore, shows that the school is at the heart of the community and is supported by it. Together, these elements form a stylized "M" for Menzieshill. Originally, the school colours were those of the school badge – bottle green, grey, and red – with the addition of black. The bottle-green blazers were highly distinctive but have been replaced by more traditional black ones. In the 1970s, the school uniform stipulated that other items had to be in "the school colours", which allowed pupils of both sexes to dress entirely (shirt, jumper, and trousers) in bottle-green or bright red if they so wished. Again, the current uniform stipulates black or grey for trousers, although there is some leeway for "self-coloured" shirts and jumpers.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/School%20Holidays%202015-16.pdf
  2. ↑ http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/2015/08/11/scottish-government-will-not-debate-closure-of-menzieshill-high-school/
  3. ↑ "Menzieshill pupils will do better at Harris, says councillor". The Courier. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Public meeting to oppose Menzieshill High School closure". The Courier. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Bid to save Menzieshill High stepping up a gear". Evening Telegraph. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Dundee budget: ‘Vital’ teacher post axed to save drinks allowance". The Courier. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Menzieshill High School School Handbook 2013". Retrieved 20 March 2013.

External links

Coordinates: 56°28′06″N 3°01′45″W / 56.4682°N 3.0293°W / 56.4682; -3.0293

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