Balfron High School
Encyclopedia
Balfron High School is situated in the village of Balfron
, approximately 18 miles from Glasgow
and 20 miles from Stirling
. The catchment area includes the larger villages of Killearn
, Strathblane
, Drymen
and Kippen
; the smaller villages of Buchlyvie
, Fintry
and Croftamie
; along with the village of Balfron where the school is situated.
, who ran the corporate side of the facilities such as cleaning, room rental, catering and the leisure facilities which are open to the public year-round outside of school hours until 2010.
The building replaced the original school in Balfron, parts of which dated back to the early part of the 20th century (with an extension added in the 1960s). The old school was known for being too small, due to the use of many mobile classrooms (18 in all) that were meant as temporary measures and in fact stood for many years and remained until the school was demolished. The original facade was preserved and has now been created into two homes with the rest of the site being taken on by Bellway and new homes constructed in "Dominie Park".
The school has just been allocated its second green flag. See school website for more information. The project is also responsible for the eco-schools garden to the rear of the school building where the plan is to grow produce to either sell or use within the school, for this the group has constructed a greenhouse constructed of plastic bottles.
Balfron
Balfron, is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is situated near Endrick Water on the A875 road, 18 miles west of Stirling and 16 miles north of Glasgow. Although a rural settlement, it lies within commuting distance of Glasgow, and serves as a dormitory town.-History:The name...
, approximately 18 miles from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and 20 miles from Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
. The catchment area includes the larger villages of Killearn
Killearn
Killearn is a small village of approximately 1700 people in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The village name stems from the Gaelic Cill Earnain, meaning Ernan's Church; the Ernan in question presumably being one of the canonised individuals of that name who were both relatives and followers...
, Strathblane
Strathblane
Strathblane is a village and parish in the registration county of Stirlingshire, situated in the southwestern part of the Stirling council area, in central Scotland. It lies at the foothills of the Campsie Fells and the Kilpatrick Hills on the Blane Water, north of Glasgow, east-southeast of...
, Drymen
Drymen
Drymen is a village in Stirling district in central Scotland. Drymen lies to the west of the Campsie Fells and enjoys views to Dumgoyne on the east and to Loch Lomond on the west...
and Kippen
Kippen
Kippen is a small village approximately west of the city of Stirling, Scotland. It lies between the Gargunnock and Fintry hills and overlooks the strath of the River Forth. The name is believed to come from Scottish Gaelic, ceapan, meaning "place of the little stump", "outcrop" or "block". The...
; the smaller villages of Buchlyvie
Buchlyvie
Buchlyvie is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is 24 km west of Stirling, south of Flanders Moss in the Carse of Forth. The village lies on the A811, which follows the line of an eighteenth-century military road...
, Fintry
Fintry
Fintry is a small village in central Scotland, nestled in the strath of the Endrick Water between the Campsie Fells and the Fintry Hills, some 19 miles north of Glasgow. It is within the local government council area of Stirling...
and Croftamie
Croftamie
Croftamie is a small village near Drymen in Scotland.The village was traditionally part of Dunbartonshire, but a minor change in boundaries means that it is now under Stirling Council....
; along with the village of Balfron where the school is situated.
Rector
The school is currently run by rector Phil Slavin who has been at the school for the past 6 years.Sports
The school runs many sports team including Hockey(Boys and Girls), Football (Girls, S1/S2 Boys, U15 Boys, U16 Boys and U18 Boys), Badminton, Swimming, Basketball and Rugby (Girls, S1/2 Boys, U15 Boys, U16 Boys, U17 Boys and U18 Boys).Other initiatives
The school also runs many other initiatives including Eco-School (holds three green flags), Charities Committee (Organises very successful charitable events through the year), Year Book.School building
The current school building was completed for the 2001-02 session as the first in Stirling Council's PFI initiative with the contract awarded to Jarvis PLCJarvis PLC
Jarvis plc is a British company that provides support services to the British railway industry. It also runs rail freight operations. The most significant feature of the modern firm is its leading share of the UK’s railway maintenance and infrastructure services.-19th and 20th centuries:The...
, who ran the corporate side of the facilities such as cleaning, room rental, catering and the leisure facilities which are open to the public year-round outside of school hours until 2010.
The building replaced the original school in Balfron, parts of which dated back to the early part of the 20th century (with an extension added in the 1960s). The old school was known for being too small, due to the use of many mobile classrooms (18 in all) that were meant as temporary measures and in fact stood for many years and remained until the school was demolished. The original facade was preserved and has now been created into two homes with the rest of the site being taken on by Bellway and new homes constructed in "Dominie Park".
Eco-schools
This year Balfron High school has appointed a group of mixed year pupils into its eco-schools program to help achieve its second green flag award. The three houses within Balfron High Lomond, Endrick and Campsie have each been given a project such as biodiversity, recycling initiatives and alternative energy. Balfron High School is also proud to have its very own wind turbines that generate clean renewable energy all year round. Balfron High is also hoping to build in future, an outdoor classroom powered by the turbines themselves.The school has just been allocated its second green flag. See school website for more information. The project is also responsible for the eco-schools garden to the rear of the school building where the plan is to grow produce to either sell or use within the school, for this the group has constructed a greenhouse constructed of plastic bottles.
Notable alumni
- Iain TurnerIain TurnerIain Ross Turner is a Scottish footballer who plays for Preston North End as a goalkeeper. He has represented the Scotland under-21 team, the Scotland B team and been selected for the full Scotland squad.-Club career:...
- Everton FC and Scotland 'B' international Goalkeeper - Jacob Kelly - 19th Century Cardinal
- Stewart Campbell - Former Scottish International Rugby Player
- Rory Kerr - Former Scottish International Rugby player
- Colin GregorColin GregorColin Gregor is a Scottish rugby union player for Glasgow Warriors in the RaboDirect Pro12. He has represented Scotland A and the Scotland 7s team. He started his playing career with Strathendrick RFC and moved to Ponsonby in New Zealand before returning to Scotland to play for Watsonians RFC in...
- Plays for Glasgow WarriorsGlasgow WarriorsThe Glasgow Warriors, formerly Glasgow Rugby, are one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland, Edinburgh being the other. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12 and their home ground is Firhill Stadium, also the home of Partick Thistle Football Club.-History:Glasgow Rugby were created to...
and the Scotland 7sScotland national rugby union team (sevens)The Scottish national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.During 2006, the side were in danger of no longer competing in the Sevens World Series due to the financial problems faced by the Scottish Rugby Union...
Rugby Player
External links
- Balfron High School on Scottish Schools Online