Lawside Academy
Encyclopedia
Lawside Academy was a state secondary school
in Dundee
, Scotland. It was a denominational school within the Catholic
religious tradition, although it welcomed students from all religious backgrounds. It had a unique claim in that it was the northernmost state Catholic school in Europe
. Lawside's successor, St. Paul's Academy
, now holds that place. Lawside closed in June 2008, one hundred and one years and one day after it first opened in 1907.
for girls by the Sisters of Mercy
in 1907, but soon began to admit boys. The school was operated on the same site as the convent
, which was located on the lower slopes of the Dundee Law (the word means hill); hence the name of both convent and school. With the Education (Scotland) Act of 1918, the school chose to enter the state system as the Act laid out certain guarantees for denominational schools which came under state control. Amongst the prerogatives that Lawside had were that the rector or vice-rector would come from the Sisters of Mercy
should one be suitably qualified. A member of the Sisters held the position of vice-rector into the 1970s. Whilst non-denominational schools tended to provide only a weekly period of religious education, Catholic schools were permitted a period each day, something which Lawside maintained until the 1990s when this was reduced to 3x40 minute periods per week, then to 2x50 minute periods in 2005. A bonus particularly enjoyed by students until the late 1970s was that school began an hour later on days which were major religious feasts; this was to allow students to attend morning Mass
in their respective parish
churches.
Until 1962 Lawside was both a primary and secondary school
with many of its pupils attending only Lawside for the whole of their education. However, the primary intake of 1955 was to be the last and from 1962 the school catered only for secondary level students.
As the school enrollment grew, the need arose for physical expansion of the facilities. However, the convent grounds were unsuitable, and so the "Annex", a former primary school, was opened on Blackness Road. One bonus of being in the "Annex" was that it was much closer to the centre of town than the main school, and so afforded greater opportunity for lunch time wanderings.
Both wings of the school moved to a new campus just off Macalpine Road in the northern part of Dundee in 1966. As was traditional the school was split into houses: St. Peters
, St. Pauls and St. Andrews
, the patron saint
of Scotland
; each had a housemaster and housemistress.
Until the introduction of comprehensive education
in the 1970s, Lawside served as the only Catholic academy for many miles, with students travelling from places such as Perth
, Forfar
, Arbroath
and northern Fife
. Although Catholic in character, Lawside both attracted and welcomed students from other denominations. At any one time, it was estimated that 20% of the student body was not Catholic.
of Saint Peter surmounted by a papal tiara
. The letters "L.A." for Lawside Academy were found in the two lower circles, whilst the school motto "Laborare et Orare" ("to work and to pray") from the Order of St Benedict curved around the edge.
which served Catholic children from the eastern side of the city, and the appointed rector of the new school Mrs Moria Leck decided to call the new school St Paul's Academy
. Paul is the middle name of the Right Reverend Vincent Paul Logan
, the Catholic bishop
of the Diocese of Dunkeld
in which Dundee is located. The schools merged for the new academic year 2008-2009, one year after Lawside's centenary celebrations in 2007.
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...
in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland. It was a denominational school within the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
religious tradition, although it welcomed students from all religious backgrounds. It had a unique claim in that it was the northernmost state Catholic school in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Lawside's successor, St. Paul's Academy
St. Paul's R.C. Academy
St. Paul's R.C. Academy is a state secondary school in Dundee, Scotland. It is a denominational school within the Catholic religious tradition, although it welcomes students from all religious backgrounds....
, now holds that place. Lawside closed in June 2008, one hundred and one years and one day after it first opened in 1907.
History
Lawside was originally founded as an independent schoolIndependent 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...
for girls by the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
in 1907, but soon began to admit boys. The school was operated on the same site as the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
, which was located on the lower slopes of the Dundee Law (the word means hill); hence the name of both convent and school. With the Education (Scotland) Act of 1918, the school chose to enter the state system as the Act laid out certain guarantees for denominational schools which came under state control. Amongst the prerogatives that Lawside had were that the rector or vice-rector would come from the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
should one be suitably qualified. A member of the Sisters held the position of vice-rector into the 1970s. Whilst non-denominational schools tended to provide only a weekly period of religious education, Catholic schools were permitted a period each day, something which Lawside maintained until the 1990s when this was reduced to 3x40 minute periods per week, then to 2x50 minute periods in 2005. A bonus particularly enjoyed by students until the late 1970s was that school began an hour later on days which were major religious feasts; this was to allow students to attend morning Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
in their respective parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
churches.
Until 1962 Lawside was both a primary and 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...
with many of its pupils attending only Lawside for the whole of their education. However, the primary intake of 1955 was to be the last and from 1962 the school catered only for secondary level students.
As the school enrollment grew, the need arose for physical expansion of the facilities. However, the convent grounds were unsuitable, and so the "Annex", a former primary school, was opened on Blackness Road. One bonus of being in the "Annex" was that it was much closer to the centre of town than the main school, and so afforded greater opportunity for lunch time wanderings.
Both wings of the school moved to a new campus just off Macalpine Road in the northern part of Dundee in 1966. As was traditional the school was split into houses: St. Peters
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, St. Pauls and St. Andrews
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
, the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of 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...
; each had a housemaster and housemistress.
Until the introduction of comprehensive education
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...
in the 1970s, Lawside served as the only Catholic academy for many miles, with students travelling from places such as 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...
, Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
, Arbroath
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
and northern 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...
. Although Catholic in character, Lawside both attracted and welcomed students from other denominations. At any one time, it was estimated that 20% of the student body was not Catholic.
School badge
The school badge was of an unusual design, resembling a three leafed clover, which represented the Holy Trinity. It consisted of the crossed keysPapal regalia and insignia
Papal regalia and insignia are the official items of attire and decoration proper to the Pope in his capacity as the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State.- Regalia :...
of Saint Peter surmounted by a papal tiara
Papal Tiara
The Papal Tiara, also known incorrectly as the Triple Tiara, or in Latin as the Triregnum, in Italian as the Triregno and as the Trirègne in French, is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown, supposedly of Byzantine and Persian origin, that is a prominent symbol of the papacy...
. The letters "L.A." for Lawside Academy were found in the two lower circles, whilst the school motto "Laborare et Orare" ("to work and to pray") from the Order of St Benedict curved around the edge.
Closure
In 2002 Dundee City Council decided to merge Lawside with St Saviour's RC High SchoolSt Saviour's RC High School
St Saviour's RC High School was a state secondary school in Dundee, Scotland. It was a denominational school within the Catholic religious tradition, although it welcomed students from all religious backgrounds. The school closed in June 2008 and merged with Lawside Academy.- History :St Saviour's...
which served Catholic children from the eastern side of the city, and the appointed rector of the new school Mrs Moria Leck decided to call the new school St Paul's Academy
St. Paul's R.C. Academy
St. Paul's R.C. Academy is a state secondary school in Dundee, Scotland. It is a denominational school within the Catholic religious tradition, although it welcomes students from all religious backgrounds....
. Paul is the middle name of the Right Reverend Vincent Paul Logan
Vincent Paul Logan
Vincent Paul Logan is the ninth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld, which was restored by Pope Leo XIII on 4 March 1878. Bishop Logan is one of eight Catholic bishops in Scotland.Vincent Logan was born in Bathgate, West Lothian on 30 June 1941, the second youngest of five brothers...
, the Catholic bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
of the Diocese of Dunkeld
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunkeld is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Scotland, forming an episcopal hierarchy distinct from that of England and Wales....
in which Dundee is located. The schools merged for the new academic year 2008-2009, one year after Lawside's centenary celebrations in 2007.