Dunfermline High School is one of four main high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

s located in Dunfermline

Dunfermline

Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...

, 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...

, 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...

. The school also caters for pupils from Kincardine

Kincardine

Kincardine or Kincardine-on-Forth is a small town located on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. The town was given the status of a Burgh of barony in 1663. It was at one time a reasonably prosperous minor port...

, Camdean

Camdean

Camdean is a small village in Rosyth, Fife, Scotland. It was renowned for being a hot spot with the local police for youth disorder and anti-social behaviour back in 2005 - 2008, as well as being well-known for its young team, the "Troops of Camdean."...

 and Rosyth

Rosyth

Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....

. The school was founded in 1468 and has a proud history. Today it has over 1,550 pupils.

History

The School has its origins in the 12th century when Dunfermline was the capital of Scotland. King David I (son of Queen Margaret and Malcolm Canmore) initially put up the money to found a school as part of the wider operations of Dunfermline Abbey in the early 1120’s(meaning Dunfermline has a claim against the Royal High School in Edinburgh and Glasgow High School for being the oldest in Scotland). Abbot Richard de Bothwell formally founded the high school in the town in 1468 as a separate organisation although the school maintains a strong link with the Abbey. The original buildings were destroyed during the reformation and the school was reconstituted by Queen Anne of Denmark in the 16th century. The poet Robert Henryson was one of the first to hold the title "Master" (now Rector) of the high school. It is from these people, who shaped the school in the first 800 years of its life, that the house names come from: Canmore, Queen Margaret, Bothwell, and Henryson. Denmark house was lost as recent school restructuring work took place.

The school celebrated 500 years since its official foundation in 1968.

Recent History

The pupils attending Dunfermline High will decline sharply according to Fife Council's policy. A new school is currently is the construction process, with projected completion by 2012.

Feeder areas

The school's feeder primary schools are:

Within Dunfermline

Dunfermline

Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...

• Canmore Primary School
• Commercial Primary School
• Pitreavie Primary School
• St Leonard's Primary School

Outwith Dunfermline

• Camdean Primary School, Rosyth
  Rosyth
  Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
  
  
• Kings Road Primary School, Rosyth
  Rosyth
  Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
  
  
• Tulliallan Primary School, Kincardine
  Kincardine
  Kincardine or Kincardine-on-Forth is a small town located on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. The town was given the status of a Burgh of barony in 1663. It was at one time a reasonably prosperous minor port...
  
  

Facilities

There are many facilities provided on the school grounds. This includes a five-a-side football pitch; a main football pitch; meeting room; free parking spaces on site; sports hall; swimming pool, and an assembly hall with a stage.

USA exchange

Dunfermline High School has a long standing link with Loudoun County High School

Loudoun County High School

Loudoun County High School is a public secondary school in Leesburg, Virginia. It is located on 415 Dry Mill Road SW in the Town of Leesburg and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. It currently serves students who live in western and southern Leesburg, Middleburg, and Lucketts.-History:The...

in Leesburg, Virginia. Students from Dunfermline High School travel to the USA over the Easter break, with Americans returning in the Summer. The next planned exchange is for 2009 with approximately 40 students participating from both schools.

Uniform

The school badge is made up from the crest of Malcolm Canmore, the Queen Margaret Cross and the symbol of Abbot Bothwell.
The two typical colours featured as part of the school blazer and ties are black and "gold" which is more or less yellow.

More recently the school crest now appears on the 5th and 6th years faces.

School motto

The school has two Latin mottos:

1. Quid agis age pro viribus, meaning "Everything you do, do it with vigour".
2. Labor Omnia Vncit, meaning "Work conquers anything".