Can you review a high school? I'll give it a bash, anyway…read more When I was at Hillhead it resembled a prison - felt like it at times, too - but over the years it has had an extension built onto it, and the open air corridors (a throwback from Glasgow's TB and Smallpox infested days) have been sealed with new ned-proof double glazed windows. I think I enrolled at this school during a rough time. In my six years in attendance there was interracial conflict, which saw horse backed police patrolling the premises, amalgamation problems and one of our favourite teachers was on the news because he got punched in the face! I can also vouch for the underlying bullying problems - the huge mix of backgrounds here meant that a majority of people came to blows with others at some point, and some of us felt a bit smothered under the wave. At the time I quietly got on with it but have fond memories of being verbally abused and having chewing gum stuck to my back....best years of your life, eh? This was partly to do with my inherent lack of balls though, and my hippy dippy registration teacher (now retired) who said I should know better - the kids to blame were from tough backgrounds. Now that I've toughened up a bit, I'd like to go back in time to tell her to kiss my enduring ass but at the time I just got on with it. In the early noughties, merely getting by in Hillhead meant you slipped under the radar, but nowadays any traces of race troubles etc seem to have been eliminated. My gem of an English teacher is now deputy head which is a vast improvement in my opinion, and the school's drama dept has had a makeover. Although we all mourned the loss of the gorgeous old stage that got turned into a gym, there's a large drama space and the school departments work hard to produce school shows and give opportunities to all their youngsters. There are some strong players in each department, most notably French, English, Music, Maths, Art and PE. In these departments, the teacher's efforts evidently pay off and they produce many bright young people every year. Technical, Home Economics and RE were always favourites of mine, too, with long term staff who were genuinely eager for you to do well. Our RE teacher had a heart of gold....he should've been paid to be a guidance teacher as well as heading his own department. It's been a while since I revisited but it's nice to see some of the dust has settled in every sense of the word, and that certain areas are continually improved. The areas I loved - English and Music, namely - are still going strong, and the libarary continues to be a great resource for pupils of all ages. Hopefully the career's advice team has been revamped and the school's website needs to be brought into the new decade, but aside from that there are worse schools.

Cathkin High opened in August 1970 and was Cambuslang's…read morefirst comprehensive school under the leadership of James Munn. Later to become Sir James Munn (http://www.rutherglenacademy.net/sir_james_munn_obituaries.html) , this man had been the head teacher of Rutherglen Academy before it closed for good at the end of the summer term in June 1970. For its first thirty-eight years Cathkin High was sited on Western Road Cambuslang in the sub-district of Whitlawburn. From the word go, and throughout most of its life, the school had a chequered reputation largely because of the problems its pupils caused to many local residents and their properties, through vandalism mainly. But from around 2006, about the same time as the appointment of the current head teacher, local residents began to note a significant improvement in the conduct of Cathkin High pupils an improvement that steadily 'improved' over the following years until the present time (June 2013) when I think most local people would agree that Cathkin High is virtually transparent to those not directly connected with it. In other words, the school is now the way it should have been from the beginning. Also, in October 2008 Cathkin High moved from Western Road to a new building on Langlea Road (just round the corner), which is part of a community education complex that includes Rutherglen High for children with special needs. The old Cathkin High on Western Road has been demolished and private houses now stand in its place. Meanwhile, official information about Cathkin High, including academic performance details, can be found at The Scottish Government (http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scottishschoolsonline/schools/cathkinhighschoolsouthlanarkshire.asp) web site.

better than the old cathkin thats for sure!read more

While it may seem a tad strange to review a school, and even stranger when you consider I did not…read moreattend this school myself, this review is based solely on the hiring of the gym hall. Unlike the 40 or 50 quid you have to shell out for 5-a-side football facilities across the city, Knightswood Secondary gym hall is available for hire for a paltry ten pounds. The set-up is basic - an indoor hall, a couple of goals, small changing room and truly awful showers. However, the value for money is terrific, while the heat generated in the hall will ensure you sweat out all of the gunk that remains in your system from a rough weekend. Availability is an issue given it is used by many of the school's clubs, but it's defintiely worth enquiring about.

Hmmm how to review a secondary school? It is difficult as it is the only secondary school I ever…read moreattended so I have nothing to compare it too and also I can't help thinking back to my time at Park Mains through nostalgic rose tinted spectacles! I guess what I should say is that I went to this school and I turned out alright so it couldn't have been that bad and that it isn't as shit as it looks in the photos! Park Mains is a non denominational school that has been around since the 1970s, as you can probably tell from the very retro looking buildings! I have heard that the school is being rebuilt though and it's about time really. At the moment though the school is spilt into 3 main blocks which cater to different subjects. A Block has the science labs, art rooms and home economics kitchens, B Block has the canteen, staff rooms and a link corridor over to C Block where you'll find the maths, English and languages classrooms as well as the music rooms. In addition to these 3 main blocks there is also a 400 seat theatre, an IT building, outdoor sports fields, and a PE hall with a dance studio, games hall and fitness suite. The school uniform is as good as you can hope for really, black and white with a blue and white striped tie for the juniors and a navy tie for the seniors. When you get to 6th year you get a special badge with an "S" on it and it makes you swan around like you own the place because you are so much older and more mature than all the other pupils (ahem). The extra curricular activities on offer were fairly bog standard. Obviously you could take up some sort of musical instrument or join the choir. Alternatively you could join one of the many sports clubs. I was a little bit more hardcore and opted for the Duke of Edinburgh scheme! My final two years at Park Mains were invaluable to me with regards to preparing me for leaving school and either going to university or going straight into a career. During S5 and S6 pupils are given loads of opportunities to get involved in projects which give them something extra to add the their CVs or university applications. Some of the things I got involved in were the Charities Committee, Young Enterprise and Peer Support. All in all I loved my time at Park Mains. As with any school some teachers were better than others and I had good days and bad days but I can honesty say that Park Mains made a positive contribution to the person I am today and I have a group of fantastic life long friends who I met at this school and who I don't think I could live without, *sniff sniff* I love you guys!