Allan Glen's School was for most of its existence a selective fee-paying

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...

 independent

Independent school

An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...

 secondary school

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 for boys in 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...

, Scotland. It was founded by the Allan Glen's Endowment Scholarship Trust on the death in 1850 of Allan Glen, a successful Glasgow tradesman and businessman, "to give a good practical education and preparation for trades or businesses, to between forty to fifty boys, the sons of tradesmen or persons in the industrial classes of society". The School was formally established in 1853 and located in the Townhead

Townhead

-Location:Townhead has no fixed boundaries. In ancient times it was the undeveloped area north of the cathedral and town. If we use this description then it is bordered to the west by the area of Cowcaddens, to the north by Sighthill and the east by Royston and south by Merchant City...

 district of the city, on land which Glen had owned on the corner of North Hanover Street and Cathedral Street.

Although notionally fee-paying, the school offered a large number of bursaries

Bursary

A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...

 and enrolled pupils from all social classes, selected on the basis of academic ability. The school's emphasis on science and engineering led to it becoming, in effect, Glasgow's High School of Science. As such, in 1887 its management merged with the nearby Anderson's College to form the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, which later became the Royal Technical College in 1912, the Royal College of Science and Technology

Royal College of Science and Technology

The Royal College of Science and Technology, situated at 138 George Street in Glasgow, Scotland was the principal predecessor institution of the University of Strathclyde, and now serves as one of the main educational buildings of the campus.-History:...

 in 1956, and ultimately the University of Strathclyde

University of Strathclyde

The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...

 in 1964.

In 1912, the school was transferred from the new Royal Technical College to the School Board of Glasgow run by Glasgow Corporation. Parents who paid domestic or business rates to Glasgow Corporation were charged a much reduced fee, enabling children from less wealthy households but who had passed the entrance exam, to benefit from the high standard of teaching at the school. In 1923, playing fields were acquired for the school in the suburb of Bishopbriggs

Bishopbriggs

Bishopbriggs is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The area was once part of the historic parish of Cadder - originally lands granted by King William the Lion to the Bishop of Glasgow, Jocelin, in 1180. It was later part of the county of Lanarkshire and subsequently an independent burgh from...

 and in 1926 the school itself moved into the building previously occupied by Provanside Public School in North Montrose Street. In 1958 a new school building was planned on Cathedral Street, adjacent to the existing one. The new school building was opened in 1965.

Selective schooling was discontinued in local authority schools in 1972, and Allan Glen's merged with the City Public School to become a local co-educational comprehensive school

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...

 on 22 August 1973, known as Allan Glen's Secondary School. Following a major re-organisation of school provision, brought about by falling birth rates, population migration and declining school rolls throughout the city, including Allan Glen's, the school was formally closed in 1989 and the buildings on Cathedral Street were converted into an annexe for the nearby Glasgow Central College of Commerce

Central College of Commerce

Central College, formerly Central College of Commerce, was a college situated in the centre of Glasgow. It merged with Glasgow Metropolitan College and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies in 2010 to form City of Glasgow College...

.

The playing fields first opened in Bishopbriggs in 1923 are still owned by the Allan Glen’s School Club and are the home ground of Allan Glen's RFC, who currently play in the West Regional League Division 1

West Regional Leagues (Rugby Union)

The West Regional League structure is one of three Scottish Regional Leagues operated by the Scottish Rugby Union, which play at a level below that of the Scottish National Leagues structure...

.

Notable alumni

Although the school emphasised science and engineering, its former pupils are well-represented throughout the arts, sciences and engineering.

• Nobel laureate Lord Todd
• artist George Wyllie
  George Wyllie
  George Wyllie MBE is a Scottish artist who resides in Gourock. He worked as a customs officer before taking up art. He describes himself as a "scul?tor"....
  
  
• actor Duncan Macrae
• actor Dirk Bogarde
  Dirk Bogarde
  Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
  
  
• Chief Naval Architect of the QE2, former Chief Ship Surveyor of Lloyds (same class as Dirk Bogarde) John (Ian) McCallum
• musician B. A. Robertson
  B. A. Robertson
  B. A. Robertson is a Scottish musician, actor, composer and songwriter.-Career:...
  
  
• architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh
  Charles Rennie Mackintosh
  Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, watercolourist and artist. He was a designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and also the main representative of Art Nouveau in the United Kingdom. He had a considerable influence on European design...
  
  
• Financial Director Racal Electronics Colin M Stewart
• Bob Winter
  Bob Winter
  Robert 'Bob' Winter is the Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was first elected a Labour councillor on Glasgow City Council in 1999, serving the Summerston ward. In 2007, he was re-elected as one of four councillors for Ward 15, which includes Maryhill and the Kelvin area of Glasgow's West End...
  
  , elected Lord Provost
  Lord Provost
  A Lord Provost is the figurative and ceremonial head of one of the principal cities of Scotland. Four cities, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have the right to appoint a Lord Provost instead of a provost...
  
   of Glasgow City Council in 2007
• Bill Aitken (politician), MSP
• automobile designer Kenneth Melville
• industrialist William Weir, 1st Viscount Weir
• comic book creator Grant Morrison
  Grant Morrison
  Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...