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Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School
Address
	Glasgow Road; Paisley, Renfrewshire, PA1 3RP; Scotland
Coordinates	55°50′47″N 4°24′41″W / 55.8463°N 4.4115°W
Information
Established	1576; 448 years ago
Local authority	Renfrewshire Council
Head teacher	Janice Levens
Staff	100 staff
Gender	Coeducational
Enrolment	1,400
Houses	Mull, Skye, Iona, Lewis
Colour(s)
Publication	The Grammarian
Website	http://www.paisleygrammarschool.com

Paisley Grammar School is a secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland.^[2] The school was founded in 1576 by royal charter of King James VI and is situated on Glasgow Road.^[3] The school is recognised as one of Scotland's oldest schools with an established history. ^[3]

The present school building (which was called the 'Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy' due to a bequest by the former member of parliament for Paisley, William B. Barbour, and until recently was the school's proper title) was opened in 1898 by Lord Balfour of Burleigh, then Secretary of State for Scotland.^[4]

The school was fee paying until the mid-1960s and in 1986, when threatened with imminent closure by Strathclyde Regional Council, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher intervened personally to ensure the survival of the school. The law was changed so that local councils could no longer close schools which were more than 80% full without approval by the Secretary of State for Scotland.^[4]

Following a consultation, in January 2021, Renfrewshire Council approved plans for the school to be moved to a new site, approving construction of a Paisley Grammar School Community Campus at the old site of the Chivas Brothers Whiskey Distillery. The new community campus will move pupils and staff to a modern facility with outdoor areas, state-of-the-art technology, and high-quality media, drama and sports facilities not possible on the current site.^[5] The new school will neighbour West College Scotland’s Paisley Campus on Renfrew Road.

Notable former pupils

Notable former pupils include:

John Amabile – interior designer and TV presenter.
Agnes Barr Auchencloss – medical officer^[6]
Michael Barratt – television presenter and announcer.
Colin Campbell – former Member of the Scottish Parliament (SNP).
James Carlile (1795–1841) – Irish Commissioner of National Education.
Sir William Cockburn (1891–1957) – banker and cricketer.^[7]
Thomas Gibson (1915–1993) – plastic surgeon and bioengineer.^[8]
Fred Goodwin – former CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland.
Peter Howitt (1970) – actor and film writer/director.
Omer Hussain – Scottish cricket internationalist.
Kenny Ireland (1945–2014) – theatre director & actor, notable for his role as "Donald" in ITV's Benidorm.
John Jackson (1887–1958) – astronomer.
Jacqui Lait (née Harkness) – former member of parliament (Conservative) and first ever female Conservative Party Whip.
Matthew Leishman – Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1858.
Alexander Munro MacRobert (1873–1930) – former Lord Advocate and member of parliament (Conservative).
Kyle Magennis – professional footballer.
Jim Mather – former Member of the Scottish Parliament (SNP).
Lord McEwan – former Judge in Scottish Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary.
Ann McKechin – Member of Parliament (Labour) for Glasgow North (2001–2015).
Archibald McLardie (1889–1915) – lawyer and footballer.
John Macquarrie (1919–2007) – sometime Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford, and Canon Residentiary, Christ Church, Oxford.
Andrew Neil – journalist and broadcaster.^[9]
David Nish – Chief Executive of Standard Life plc.
Frederick Ramsden – cricketer
Brian Reid – former professional footballer.
Andrew Robertson – former president of the Montreal Board of Trade etc.
Ian Smart - solicitor and former president of the Law Society of Scotland.
David Stow (1793–1864) – educationalist.
Andrew Symington, (1785–1853) - Presbyterian minister
David Tennant – actor, (Doctor Who, Broadchurch, Jessica Jones etc.)
Tom Urie – actor and musician.
Frank Walker (1897–1949) – Scottish footballer.
Frank Arneil Walker – Emeritus Professor of Architecture at Strathclyde University.
John Wilson (Scottish writer)
John Wilson – Canadian children's author.
Robert Wilson – cricketer.
Kenyon Wright – former chairman of the Scottish Constitutional Convention.
Lord Wylie (1923–2005) – former Lord Advocate and former member of parliament (Scottish Unionist Party).

Old Grammarians

The Old Grammarians Club is a society formed by and for former pupils and staff of Paisley Grammar School. The club has been running in some form since 1928 and was founded with a need to 'keep in touch' after school years following world war I.^[10]

Ross Brisco is the current president who was elected to office in 2018.^[11]

The club are committed to organising social gatherings throughout the year including a yearly ball^[12] and a golf club with yearly tournament.^[13] The Old Grammarians Club also contributes to the school's annual prize-giving; giving the Old Grammarians Prize to one pupil in the sixth year.

References

^ "Head Teacher's Welcome". Paisley Grammar School. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
^ "School History". Paisley Grammar School. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
^ ^a ^b "The History of the Paisley Grammar School, from Its Foundation in 1576: Of the Paisley Grammar School and Academy and of the Other Town's Schools". A. Gardner. 1 December 1875 – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b "Paisley Grammar School". Paisley Grammar School. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
^ team, Renfrewshire Communications. "Councillors approve Paisley Grammar School relocation plans". www.renfrewshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
^ "University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography of Medical Officer Agnes Barr Auchencloss". www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
^ "Bank director". The Herald. Glasgow, Scotland. 3 September 1957. p. 3. Retrieved 19 December 2015 – via Google News.
^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
^ "Andrew Neil: 'I am a better journalist than I am a businessman' | The Independent". Independent.co.uk. 14 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^ "Who Are We?". 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
^ "Committee". 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
^ "Annual Gala Ball". 30 October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
^ "Golf Club". 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.