James Gillespie's High School
 |
|
| Motto |
Fidelis Et Fortis |
|---|---|
| Established | 1803 |
| Type | State school |
| Headteacher | Donald J Macdonald |
| Founder | James Gillespie |
| Location |
Lauderdale Street Edinburgh EH9 1DD Scotland |
| Local authority | Edinburgh City |
| Staff | FTE 86.5 (2016) |
| Students | 1210 (2016) |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | jamesgillespies |
Fidelis Et Fortis
(Latin: Faithful and Brave)
James Gillespie's High School is a state-funded secondary school in Marchmont, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a comprehensive high school, educating pupils between the ages of 11 and 18, situated at the centre of Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace are within the catchment area of James Gillespie's High School.
The school uses the Scottish Gaelic curriculum.
James Gillespie's High School was founded in Bruntsfield Place in 1803 as a result of the legacy of James Gillespie, an Edinburgh tobacco merchant, and was administered by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh. The first class consisted of 65 students and one master. In 1870, the school moved into a larger building on the south side of what is now Gillespie Crescent. The number of students at the school would later exceed 1,000 and include female students.
In 1908, the Edinburgh School Board took responsibility for this school from the Merchant Company of Edinburgh Education Board.
In 1914, the school moved into the original Boroughmuir School building on Bruntsfield Links, which was previously used by Boroughmuir High School as an annex. The novelist Muriel Spark attended James Gillespie's High School from 1923-1935. She based the main character of her 1961 novel 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' on one of her teachers, Christina Kay.
In 1935, Edinburgh Corporation acquired Bruntsfield House and its grounds from the Warrender family.
The construction of the school on Lauderdale Street began in 1964 and was completed in 1966. The school became a secondary school for 800 girls. The project added three teaching blocks, a separate library, a swimming pool, and a gymnasium to the original Bruntsfield House building.
In 1973, the school became a co-educational comprehensive school, taking in boys and girls.
In 1978, ownership of the school was taken over by Edinburgh District Council, and school uniforms became optional. At this time, the school also started to use an annex at 7 Gillespie Street to cope with the rising intake.
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