Queensferry High School
Encyclopedia
Queensferry High School is a six year comprehensive school
in the town of South Queensferry
, Scotland
, run by City of Edinburgh Council. It was opened in 1970 by Princess Margaret marking the 900th anniversary of the arrival of Queen Margaret
in Queensferry. Currently it has an 850 strong student body, predominantly taking in students from Echline Primary School, Queensferry Primary School, Dalmeny Primary School
and Kirkliston Primary School
. It was made a School of Ambition in 2007.
Upon enrollment at the school, the pupils are assigned to a house; Dundas
, Rosebery
or Hopetoun
. The houses in turn decide the pupil's registration class
, with each house having two classes per year, for example, in a first year classes would be D1, D2, H1, H2, R1, R2. Each house has two guidance teachers
who serve primarily to monitor welfare and offer career advice. There are also two "heads of house" for each house, made up of student elected pupils from the sixth year.. In turn are two student elected "heads of school" from the sixth year. There is also an extensive prefect system, made up of students from the sixth year.
The school covers a varied curriculum
, offering FAT LAING Scottish National Qualifications
. Classes are taught in groups of around 20 pupils for practical subjects, such as the sciences or art and design
, and in classes of around 30 for other subjects, such as mathematics
or English
.
A school uniform
was reintroduced in 2005. It consists of black trousers or skirt, with a black or white shirt bearing the school's initials and the school tie consisting of diagonally striped turquoise, black and white or the schools own registered tartan "the ferry fling". Blazers have now been introduced and are optionally available to senior students.
wing was added, with a substantial extension to the school being added in 1997 and a total refurbishment being undertaken in 1998. The school has, however, retained its characteristic asymmetric
red stairwells.
pass rates at Level 3 (Standard Grade
Foundation level or equivalent) or better, Level 4 (Standard Grade General level or equivalent) or better and Level 5 (Standard Grade Credit level or equivalent) or better for Queensferry High School in the 2006/2007 academic year, contrasted with pass rates for Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole.
The table below shows as a percentage the amount of students from the previous year's fourth years who went on to pass one or more, three or more or five or more level 6 examinations (Highers) in 2006/2007. 37% of those fourth years had left and so attained none. This compared to a city-wide and national rate of 35% leaving.
Below is a breakdown of what the leavers of Queensferry High School during the 2006/2007 academic year went on to do. Of note here is the high percentage of leavers going directly into employment.
Queensferry High School has twice been in the news in recent years due to separate security issues. On 15 December 2005 pupils were locked in their classrooms for two hours and told to stay away from windows and out of corridors after a man with a gun
threatened to commit suicide in a house opposite the school. Armed police
closed off the surrounding area and arrested the man without any injury to anyone.
In the early hours 22 February 2008 the school was petrol bombed by three former pupils, blowing out an external wall at the back of the school and destroying a ground floor English classroom. No one was harmed as no one was in the school at the time.
On the 2nd of June 2009 Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited the school.
The School also appeared in the news, on the 12th of November 2010, when the New Zealand All Blacks helped school sports ambassadors in launching new adiStars from Adidas
.
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 town of South Queensferry
South Queensferry
South Queensferry , also called Queensferry, is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the north west of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8...
, 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...
, run by City of Edinburgh Council. It was opened in 1970 by Princess Margaret marking the 900th anniversary of the arrival of Queen Margaret
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland , also known as Margaret of Wessex and Queen Margaret of Scotland, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England...
in Queensferry. Currently it has an 850 strong student body, predominantly taking in students from Echline Primary School, Queensferry Primary School, Dalmeny Primary School
Dalmeny
Dalmeny is a suburban village and civil parish in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on the south side of the Firth of Forth, east-southeast of South Queensferry and west-northwest of central Edinburgh; it falls under the local governance of the City of Edinburgh Council.The name Dalmeny is...
and Kirkliston Primary School
Kirkliston
Kirkliston is a village and civil parish within the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. It sits on the historic route between Edinburgh and Queensferry, the gateway to Fife and the north. Today, it is bypassed by the A90...
. It was made a School of Ambition in 2007.
School life
Dundas Castle
Dundas Castle is a 15th century castle, with substantial 19th century additions by William Burn, near South Queensferry, to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the home of the Dundas family, and remains in private hands.-History:...
, Rosebery
Dalmeny House
Dalmeny House is a Gothic revival mansion located in an estate close to Dalmeny on the Firth of Forth, to the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was designed by William Wilkins, and completed in 1817.Dalmeny House is the home of the Earl and Countess of Rosebery. The house was the first in...
or Hopetoun
Hopetoun House
Hopetoun House is the traditional residence of the Earl of Hopetoun . It was built 1699-1701, designed by William Bruce. It was then hugely extended from 1721 by William Adam until his death in 1748 being one of his most notable projects. The interior was completed by his sons John Adam and Robert...
. The houses in turn decide the pupil's registration class
Tutor group
A tutor group is a term used in UK schools, broadly equivalent to the United States term "homeroom". The term is most frequently used in Secondary schools where students may be taught in a number of different groupings throughout the day...
, with each house having two classes per year, for example, in a first year classes would be D1, D2, H1, H2, R1, R2. Each house has two guidance teachers
School counselor
A school counselor is a counselor and an educator who works in elementary, middle, and high schools to provide academic, career, college access, and personal/social competencies to K-12 students...
who serve primarily to monitor welfare and offer career advice. There are also two "heads of house" for each house, made up of student elected pupils from the sixth year.. In turn are two student elected "heads of school" from the sixth year. There is also an extensive prefect system, made up of students from the sixth year.
The school covers a varied curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
, offering FAT LAING Scottish National Qualifications
Scottish Qualifications Authority
The Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
. Classes are taught in groups of around 20 pupils for practical subjects, such as the sciences or art and design
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, and in classes of around 30 for other subjects, such as 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...
or English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
.
A school uniform
School uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
was reintroduced in 2005. It consists of black trousers or skirt, with a black or white shirt bearing the school's initials and the school tie consisting of diagonally striped turquoise, black and white or the schools own registered tartan "the ferry fling". Blazers have now been introduced and are optionally available to senior students.
Buildings
The school buildings, corresponding with increasing student numbers, have been much extended from their original 1970 form. In 1995 a recreationRecreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
wing was added, with a substantial extension to the school being added in 1997 and a total refurbishment being undertaken in 1998. The school has, however, retained its characteristic asymmetric
Asymmetric
Something which is asymmetric displays asymmetry. Specific uses of the term may include:*Asymmetric relation for information on such relations in mathematics and set theory*Asymmetric warfare for information and theories of modern war...
red stairwells.
Academic records
The table below shows the fourth yearFourth year
Fourth year, also known as S4, is the fourth year of schooling in Scottish, Venezuelan, Ecuadorian, Colombian, and other Latin American countries secondary schools, and is roughly equivalent to Year 11 in England and Wales and Year 12 in Northern Ireland...
pass rates at Level 3 (Standard Grade
Standard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
Foundation level or equivalent) or better, Level 4 (Standard Grade General level or equivalent) or better and Level 5 (Standard Grade Credit level or equivalent) or better for Queensferry High School in the 2006/2007 academic year, contrasted with pass rates for Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole.
| Queensferry High School | Edinburgh City | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3 | 90% | 89% | 91% |
| Level 4 | 83% | 75% | 76% |
| Level 5 | 39% | 34% | 33% |
The table below shows as a percentage the amount of students from the previous year's fourth years who went on to pass one or more, three or more or five or more level 6 examinations (Highers) in 2006/2007. 37% of those fourth years had left and so attained none. This compared to a city-wide and national rate of 35% leaving.
| Queensferry High School | Edinburgh City | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| One or more | 43% | 38% | 39% |
| Three or more | 23% | 23% | 22% |
| Five or more | 10% | 11% | 10% |
Below is a breakdown of what the leavers of Queensferry High School during the 2006/2007 academic year went on to do. Of note here is the high percentage of leavers going directly into employment.
| Queensferry High School | Edinburgh City | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time higher education | 29% | 29% | 30% |
| Full-time further education | 17% | 22% | 23% |
| Training | 1% | 3% | 5% |
| Employment | 41% | 29% | 28% |
| Unemployed, seeking employment | 12% | 14% | 11% |
| Unemployed, not seeking employment | 0% | 2% | 1% |
| Not known | 1% | 1% | 1% |
In the news
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
threatened to commit suicide in a house opposite the school. Armed police
Firearms unit
A firearms unit is a specialised, armed unit within each territorial police force in the United Kingdom. For the most part, the police forces of the United Kingdom are unarmed; however, all have firearms units to provide the police force with the capability to deal with armed criminals...
closed off the surrounding area and arrested the man without any injury to anyone.
In the early hours 22 February 2008 the school was petrol bombed by three former pupils, blowing out an external wall at the back of the school and destroying a ground floor English classroom. No one was harmed as no one was in the school at the time.
On the 2nd of June 2009 Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited the school.
The School also appeared in the news, on the 12th of November 2010, when the New Zealand All Blacks helped school sports ambassadors in launching new adiStars from Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
.
Notable alumni
- Paul ApplebyPaul Appleby (boxer)Paul Appleby, is a Scottish professional boxer who fights in the featherweight division.He is the youngest ever British featherweight champion.-Professional career:...
, Former British featherweightFeatherweightFeatherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion. - Commander Simon Ward, former commanding officerCommanding officerThe commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of HMS NottinghamHMS Nottingham (D91)HMS Nottingham was a batch two Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the city of Nottingham, England. She was launched on 18 February 1980, and commissioned on 8 April 1983 as the sixth ship to bear the name....
.