Perth High School
Encyclopedia
Perth High School is a six-year, non-denominational comprehensive
secondary school
, located in Perth
, Scotland
. Established in 1950 at Gowans Terrace in a post-war prefabricated structure of a type which had not previously been used for any large school in Scotland, the school relocated to its present location in 1971, two years after the opening in 1969 of the adjacent Oakbank Primary School
. It stands in extensive grounds occupying a position on a hill overlooking Oakbank Road and Viewlands Road West. There are five houses; Kinfauns, Huntingtower, Elcho, Balmanno, and Pitheavlis.
, Mathematics
, Physics
, Biology
, Chemistry
, Modern Languages, History
, Drama
, Modern Studies
, Home Economics
, Art and Design, Computing
and Business Studies
as well as a large pupil social area. The main teaching block is accompanied by an extensive ground floor accommodation housing Technology
, Geography
, Classics, Religious & Moral Education
, Drama
, Music
and Physical Education
as well as the Library
, the Assembly Hall and the Dining Halls. The school contains two computer suites encompassing eight computer rooms containing modern hardware and software (over 350 PC
systems). It is supported by a whole-school computer network with Internet
and Intranet
facilities. The school's new development has new airport styled seating areas throughout the concourse. The concourse area has also been split into two parts separating the juniors from third and fourth years and the new extension to the front of the school has meant there is a new social area for the seniors. The campus contains spacious grounds, as well as playing fields. The school gives particular emphasis to environmental issues and the grounds contain a number of specialised environmental project areas. A climbing wall has also been built, pupils have access to this at lunchtimes and after school.
Due to a recent HMIe Inspection of Perth High School, there have been building works going on around the school which have resulted in the Physics department's classrooms being refurbished, along with a selection of other rooms around the school. The building works also include the stairwell banisters being replaced and the entry/exit doors around the school also being replaced. These building works will be on-going over three consecutive years in a project to refurbish the whole school to meet up with the standards of new schools. New toilets were also fitted in two of the concourse areas.
and Care were taught there, which are now taught within the school itself. First and second year pupils receive a six month Mandarin taster to encourage them to choose the subject for their Standard Grade exams in third year.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
secondary 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 Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, 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...
. Established in 1950 at Gowans Terrace in a post-war prefabricated structure of a type which had not previously been used for any large school in Scotland, the school relocated to its present location in 1971, two years after the opening in 1969 of the adjacent Oakbank Primary School
Oakbank Primary School
Oakbank Primary School is a mixed school of Non Denominational religion in Perth, Scotland.The School opened in 1969 and it currently teaches over 530 pupils...
. It stands in extensive grounds occupying a position on a hill overlooking Oakbank Road and Viewlands Road West. There are five houses; Kinfauns, Huntingtower, Elcho, Balmanno, and Pitheavlis.
School accommodation
The building consists of a modern complex centered on a four-storey main teaching block housing EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, Modern Languages, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, Modern Studies
Modern Studies
Modern Studies is a subject unique to the Scottish secondary school curriculum , that is concerned with the study of local, national and international issues from a social, political and economic perspective...
, Home Economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
, Art and Design, Computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
and Business Studies
Business studies
Business studies is an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, as well as at university level in many countries...
as well as a large pupil social area. The main teaching block is accompanied by an extensive ground floor accommodation housing Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, Classics, Religious & Moral Education
Religious Education
Religious Education is the term given to education concerned with religion. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization, for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a...
, Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
as well as the Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, the Assembly Hall and the Dining Halls. The school contains two computer suites encompassing eight computer rooms containing modern hardware and software (over 350 PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
systems). It is supported by a whole-school computer network with Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and Intranet
Intranet
An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to securely share any part of an organization's information or network operating system within that organization. The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network...
facilities. The school's new development has new airport styled seating areas throughout the concourse. The concourse area has also been split into two parts separating the juniors from third and fourth years and the new extension to the front of the school has meant there is a new social area for the seniors. The campus contains spacious grounds, as well as playing fields. The school gives particular emphasis to environmental issues and the grounds contain a number of specialised environmental project areas. A climbing wall has also been built, pupils have access to this at lunchtimes and after school.
Due to a recent HMIe Inspection of Perth High School, there have been building works going on around the school which have resulted in the Physics department's classrooms being refurbished, along with a selection of other rooms around the school. The building works also include the stairwell banisters being replaced and the entry/exit doors around the school also being replaced. These building works will be on-going over three consecutive years in a project to refurbish the whole school to meet up with the standards of new schools. New toilets were also fitted in two of the concourse areas.
Community Partnership
Perth High School values their connections with the wider world and with the local community. They have contacts with their local councillors, members of Parliament, churches and religious bodies, youth organizations, the Community Education Service, the Viewlands Venture, and local environment agencies. The school also has strong links with the three local Rotary Clubs, particularly with the Kinnoull club who sponsor its Interact Club for senior pupils and provide opportunities for their young people through the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, mock interviews, etc.Subjects
Recently the school has started teaching many new subjects to give pupils a wider choice of subjects to choose for Standard Grade and Higher exams. Since the school had good connections with Perth College UHI, some of the newer subjects like Motor Mechanics, PsychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and Care were taught there, which are now taught within the school itself. First and second year pupils receive a six month Mandarin taster to encourage them to choose the subject for their Standard Grade exams in third year.