Beath High School
Encyclopedia
Beath High School is a non-denominational state secondary school
located in Cowdenbeath
, Fife
. The school is run by Fife Council and the current roll stands at around 1200 pupils aged from 11 to 18. It serves the towns of Cowdenbeath and Kelty
as well as the villages of Crossgates, Hill of Beath and Lumphinnans. Some pupils from Lochgelly
and Ballingry
attend the school. The current rector is Douglas Young.
' standard. Pupils from Beath Junior High, Ballingry Junior High and Auchterderran High had an opportunity to move to Beath Senior High at the end of their 2nd year or for 5th and 6th year if they wished to take 'Higher Grade
' qualifications. In 1981 the two schools were combined as Beath High School with the older building acting as an annex for S1 and S2 pupils. The opening of the new Lochgelly High School in 1987 resulted in a significant change in the school catchment area and a reduction in the school role. This reduction in headcount together with the poor state of repair of the Old Beath building resulted in the closure and, in the 1990s, the partial demolition of the Stenhouse Street building. Part of the Old Beath building can still be seen on Stenhouse Street at the junction with King Street. By the 1990s, the Foulford Road building was also in a poor state of repair and struggling to provide suitable teaching accommodation with many classes being taught in a collection of outdoor huts that were supposed to be temporary but ended up being there for twenty years. In 2003 a new school building was completed to the East of the previous Foulford Road site allowing everything apart from the games hall built in the early 1980s to be demolished and a new all-weather sports pitch to be built on the former school site.
West Block
Central Block
East Block
Connecting block at back of school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
located in Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is 5 miles north-east of Dunfermline and 18 miles north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a Police Burgh in 1890...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
. The school is run by Fife Council and the current roll stands at around 1200 pupils aged from 11 to 18. It serves the towns of Cowdenbeath and Kelty
Kelty
Kelty is located in Fife, Scotland. Kelty is a former coal mining village in the heart of the old mining heartlands of Fife. It is situated on the Fife/Kinross-shire boundary with a population of around 6,000 residents This was nearer to 9,000 when the mining industry was still operational in...
as well as the villages of Crossgates, Hill of Beath and Lumphinnans. Some pupils from Lochgelly
Lochgelly
Lochgelly is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is located between Lochs Ore and Gelly to the north-west and south-east respectively. It is separated from Cowdenbeath by the village of Lumphinnans. According to the 2007 population estimate, the town has a population of 6,834.-History:From the 1830s...
and Ballingry
Ballingry
Ballingry is a small town, in Fife, close to the border with Perth and Kinross, north of Lochgelly. It has an estimated population of 5,740 . The once separate villages of Ballingry, Lochore, Crosshill, and Glencraig are now somewhat joined together as the part of the Benarty area...
attend the school. The current rector is Douglas Young.
History
Beath High School was established in 1910 as Beath Higher Grade School, catering for the children of local people who wished to proceed to higher education. This building was located on Stenhouse Street, close to the town centre. In 1964 a 'groovy' school was built on Foulford Road on the edge of the town. From 1964 until 1981 the two buildings operated as separate schools with the new building housing Beath Senior High School and catering for pupils perceived as more academic while the older building, then known as Beath Junior High School, provided a more vocational education up to 'O-GradeO-grade
The Ordinary Grade of the Scottish Certificate of Education is a now-discontinued qualification which was studied for as part of the Scottish secondary education system...
' standard. Pupils from Beath Junior High, Ballingry Junior High and Auchterderran High had an opportunity to move to Beath Senior High at the end of their 2nd year or for 5th and 6th year if they wished to take 'Higher Grade
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
' qualifications. In 1981 the two schools were combined as Beath High School with the older building acting as an annex for S1 and S2 pupils. The opening of the new Lochgelly High School in 1987 resulted in a significant change in the school catchment area and a reduction in the school role. This reduction in headcount together with the poor state of repair of the Old Beath building resulted in the closure and, in the 1990s, the partial demolition of the Stenhouse Street building. Part of the Old Beath building can still be seen on Stenhouse Street at the junction with King Street. By the 1990s, the Foulford Road building was also in a poor state of repair and struggling to provide suitable teaching accommodation with many classes being taught in a collection of outdoor huts that were supposed to be temporary but ended up being there for twenty years. In 2003 a new school building was completed to the East of the previous Foulford Road site allowing everything apart from the games hall built in the early 1980s to be demolished and a new all-weather sports pitch to be built on the former school site.
Notable former pupils
Notable alumni of Beath High School include:- Stuart AdamsonStuart AdamsonStuart Adamson , born William Stuart Adamson, was an English-born Scottish guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, described by legendary music journalist John Peel as “Britain’s answer to Jimi Hendrix”...
, Musician with The Skids and Big Country - Sir James Whyte BlackJames W. BlackSir James Whyte Black, OM, FRS, FRSE, FRCP was a Scottish doctor and pharmacologist. He spent his career both as researcher and as an academic at several universities. Black established the physiology department at the University of Glasgow, where he became interested in the effects of adrenaline...
, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1988 for his work leading to the discovery of Propranolol and CimetidineCimetidineCimetidine INN is a histamine H2-receptor antagonist that inhibits the production of acid in the stomach. It is largely used in the treatment of heartburn and peptic ulcers. It is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline under the trade name Tagamet... - Scott BrownScott BrownScott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
, Celtic and Scotland Midfielder - Harry Ewing, Baron Ewing of KirkfordHarry Ewing, Baron Ewing of KirkfordHarry Ewing, Baron Ewing of Kirkford DL was a Labour politician in Scotland. He served as a Member of Parliament for 21 years, from a by-election in 1971 until the 1992 general election, when he became a life peer...
, politician - Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge, politician
- William McLaren, Artist and Illustrator
- Iain PaxtonIain PaxtonIain Angus McLeod Paxton is a Scottish rugby union player who won 36 caps at number eight and lock between 1981 and 1988, scoring a total of five tries. He made his debut against New Zealand All Blacks on the 1981 tour and later that year he helped Scotland to a memorable 24-15 win over Australia...
, Scotland Rugby International - Ian RankinIan RankinIan Rankin, OBE, DL , is a Scottish crime writer. His best known books are the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism.-Background:He attended Beath High School, Cowdenbeath...
, crime novelist
Current building
The current building is modern with state-of-the-art facilities. It stands on three floors, separated into three blocks, joined together at the back of the school.West Block
- Maths (Ground Floor)
- Learning and Behaviour Support (Ground Floor)
- Modern Languages - French and German (First Floor)
- English (First Floor)
- ICT (Second Floor)
- Social subjects - History, Geography and Modern Studies (Second Floor)
Central Block
- Reception area (Ground Floor)
- Office accommodation (Ground Floor)
- Assembly hall (Ground Floor)
- Staff Room (First Floor)
- Headteacher and Depute Head offices (First Floor)
- Home Economics (Second Floor)
- Library (Second Floor)
East Block
- Craft, Design & Technology (Ground Floor)
- Sciences - Biology, Chemistry and Physics (First and Second Floors)
Connecting block at back of school
- Music (Ground Floor)
- Dining Hall (Ground Floor)
- PE (Ground Floor)
- Business Education (First Floor)
- RME (Second Floor)
- Art (Second Floor)