Comely Park School
Encyclopedia
Comely Park School is a primary school in Woodlands
, Falkirk
, Scotland
. It was founded in 1879 as a replacement for the local Charity School. In its early days it was also known as "Cochrane's Academy" after its first headmaster. The original Victorian
school buildings (which housed over 1,000 pupils in 1909) were demolished in 1996, and Comely Park was the first school in Falkirk to be rebuilt, along with a Games Hall and a large astro turf pitch. It currently accommodates around 500 pupils.
It has a reputation of being the best school in the area, though this may be down to the relatively high socio-economic class of those in its catchment area — only 2.5% of its pupils are eligible for free school meal
s, compared to 17.6% nationally — and there is significant competition for places. Classes are of average size (about 30) and many pupils go on to private education at Dollar Academy
, Beaconhurst School or a variety of Edinburgh
public schools
.
The school colours are maroon and white, which is reflected in the full uniform. A maroon blazer with white piping, grey trousers or shorts, a grey shirt with a maroon/silver striped tie and maroon jumper is the official uniform, though most pupils now simply wear a white polo shirt and maroon jumper with dark trousers.
Notable former pupils include William St. Clair, a former senior civil servant, author and Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge
, former Formula 1 BAR team boss Craig Pollock
, St Mirren football player Jack Ross and professional basketball player Keith Bunyan who played 6 years with the British Basketball Leagues Scottish Rocks and in the commonwealth games in Australia with Scotland senior men.
Woodlands, Falkirk
Woodlands is a large, prosperous central area of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland, which is mainly residential. Much of the ward is taken up by leafy streets where property prices are among the highest in Central Scotland and includes Lochgreen, Slamannan, Rosebank, Gartcows and Southern...
, Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was founded in 1879 as a replacement for the local Charity School. In its early days it was also known as "Cochrane's Academy" after its first headmaster. The original Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
school buildings (which housed over 1,000 pupils in 1909) were demolished in 1996, and Comely Park was the first school in Falkirk to be rebuilt, along with a Games Hall and a large astro turf pitch. It currently accommodates around 500 pupils.
It has a reputation of being the best school in the area, though this may be down to the relatively high socio-economic class of those in its catchment area — only 2.5% of its pupils are eligible for free school meal
Free school meal
A Free School Meal, provided to a child or young person during a school break, is paid for by Government. For a child to qualify for a Free School Meal, their parent or carer must be receiving particular qualifying benefits as stated by Government...
s, compared to 17.6% nationally — and there is significant competition for places. Classes are of average size (about 30) and many pupils go on to private education at Dollar Academy
Dollar Academy
Dollar Academy was founded in 1818, which makes it the oldest co-educational day and boarding school in the world. The open campus occupies a site in the centre of the thriving town of Dollar in Central Scotland, less than 40 minutes drive from the two main Scottish cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh...
, Beaconhurst School or a variety of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
.
The school colours are maroon and white, which is reflected in the full uniform. A maroon blazer with white piping, grey trousers or shorts, a grey shirt with a maroon/silver striped tie and maroon jumper is the official uniform, though most pupils now simply wear a white polo shirt and maroon jumper with dark trousers.
Notable former pupils include William St. Clair, a former senior civil servant, author and Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, former Formula 1 BAR team boss Craig Pollock
Craig Pollock
Craig Pollock , is a businessman who was the manager of the Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve throughout his top-level career, and team principal of the British American Racing team from to...
, St Mirren football player Jack Ross and professional basketball player Keith Bunyan who played 6 years with the British Basketball Leagues Scottish Rocks and in the commonwealth games in Australia with Scotland senior men.