• About Us
• Bursary Form
• Vacancies
• Results
• Board of Governors
• School Values
• Download our Prospectus
• Location and History of the School

Location and History of the School

The school is situated in the Rutherglen area, near the Cathkin Braes.

Pupils are drawn from a wide area within the Glasgow District, a large percentage from the Lanarkshire District and some from the Paisley District. We have 7 school buses and the vast majority of the children travel by bus, either being collected near their home or by taking other public transport to a particular pick-up point. The school controls the bus transport arrangements.

Principal Events in the History of the School

• In 1971, the Sisters of Notre Dame declared their intention of closing the Primary School they had run at Fernhill since 1953. Within weeks of this announcement a group of parents had elected a committee which became the Board of Governors. They were determined to keep the school opened and in August 1972 the school reopened as a completely independent school with Sister Gabriel, a sister of St Joseph of Cluny as Headmistress.
  
  There were four members of staff at that time

• In January 1973, a decision to start a Secondary Department was taken and one more full-time member of staff (to share the teaching of P6/7/S1 with Mrs Fitzpatrick) was appointed in August 1973. This was Mrs McLay, the former Headmistress of the school

• After an entrance examination in March1973, a class of 27 girls accepted places for the S1 Fernhill Class

• Application was made to the Scottish Education Department in Edinburgh for their approval, exactly one year after they had been asked to approve the new Primary School. The following year the Primary Roll had increased to 150 and the S1 intake was 30

• By the end of October a science laboratory had been fitted out. Throughout the year Her Majesty’s Inspectors paid visits to the school to examine the teaching of English, French, History, Mathematics, Latin, Geography, Physical Education and Music (all taught by Mrs Fitzpatrick and Mrs McLay, in addition to sharing the P6/7 class). Science was taught by Mrs Glover and Sister Gabriel took over the religious education of P6/7/S1. The Inspectors expressed their satisfaction and by the summer of that Year (1974) the school had received full recognition from the Scottish Education Department

• 1974 also saw the appointment of new staff to teach Art and Physical Education, together with a part-time secretary. During the course of the next two years specialist teachers in Modern Languages and Chemistry were appointed

• In the spring of 1976 the governors decided that there was sufficient confidence in the school to justify the building of a block of classrooms to accommodate the future fourth and fifth years and two further teachers (Latin and History) were appointed

• Sister Gabriel took ill in February 1977 and her resignation which was to have taken effect from June 1977 was brought forward. Mrs Fitzpatrick became headmistress. With Sister Mary, Sister of Cluny and Mrs McLay as her Assistant Heads

• In August 1976 the new extension, connected to the Main House by a corridor was in use: for the first time the Secondary Department was under one roof. Additional staffing appointments were made in Modern Languages and Science

• As it was always the aim to build up a School which satisfied all the academic requirements of the Universities and Colleges, a room in the Main House was equipped as a Biology Laboratory, in addition to the Physics and Chemistry Laboratories

• In 1977 two further classrooms, a new chemistry laboratory and toilets were added to the new extension. Also, in 1977, the first presentations were made for the SCE examinations

• In 1980 rooms within the Main House were converted for use into classrooms and in 1987 a new classroom block, present upper primary (Primary 5/6/7) was built

• In 1992 Mrs McLay became Headmistress on the retiral of Mrs Fitzpatrick and Mrs Margaret Long was appointed Deputy Headmistress. Mrs Frances Crines was Assistant Head in the Primary Department at this time

• In 1993 Fitzpatrick House, a new building comprising three fully equipped, modern science laboratories and three classrooms, (Geography, and English) was opened by Bishop Devine

• As science moved out of the Lower Corridor building, Computing moved in and the school saw its first Computing Laboratory taking shape

• In June 2002 building commenced on a new block to house the new art suite, second computing laboratory, Latin room and Modern Languages suite together with one further classroom. The previous art room has now been converted into a PE suite, adjacent to the school hall

• In August 2002, Mrs Eileen Whyte was appointed Head of Primary following the retiral of Mrs Frances Crines and Mrs Patricia Kingwell was appointed Head of Infants

• The upper floor of the new building was completed in June 2003 and in August 2003 Art, Computing and Latin classes entered this building. The lower floor of the building to house the Modern Languages Department, thus freeing rooms in the Main House for more general use, was completed in June 2004.

• In June 2005, Mrs McLay retired as Headmistress and was succeeded by Mrs Anne Crammond. Mrs Crammond attended Fernhill Primary when it was under the ownership of the Sisters of Notre Dame.