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Hillhead High School is a day school located in the city of Glasgow on Oakfield Avenue, neighbouring the University of Glasgow. With approximately 1,000 pupils and 90 staff, making it one of the largest schools in Glasgow.

Around the school

The school has two buildings:

• The terrace building, and
• The main building.

Terrace Building

Originally owned by the University of Glasgow, this building has five floors on which the following departments have their classrooms and accompanying staff rooms: IT, Technical and Graphic Communication studies, Geography, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and History. This building is used primarily for applied studies.

Main Building

This X-shaped building is the larger of the two buildings, and where most pupils will commence their studies. Most of the classrooms, staff, and departments are situated on its four floors.

Classroom departments include: Drama, Music, Religious Education, Physical Education, English, Art, Mathematics, Modern Languages, and Home Economics.

Library

Also in the Main Building is the library, where a career and exam advisor makes biweekly appearances. There are also about 30 computers with Microsoft Windows® XP® software.

Guidance room

The Guidance Room (also known as 'Pastoral Care') provides a Guidance teacher (any member of staff who is qualified for the post) for pupils concerned with bullying, having problems with classes, taking an anger management course, and requiring similar types of assistance.

Minority Time Activity (MTA)

Hillhead High School is the only school in Glasgow which has implemented MTA: Minority Time Activity. On Friday afternoons, teachers host activities ranging from football to bridge. Students who take part in extracurricular activities, such as the school show or wind band, can alternatively use this time for additional practice. Pupils choose their desired activity at the start of each major term, for example when returning from the summer holidays. When participating in MTA, pupils are dismissed at the earlier time of 2:40 p.m. rather than the usual 3:30 p.m.

Uniform

Although all pupils are asked (though by Scottish law are not required) to wear an item of uniform, they are provided with several options. There is the school polo shirt, which comes in white or blue, or the sweat shirt, which can be bought in blue or black. The school tie can also be worn with a white shirt. Junior pupils wear a burgundy tie and senior pupils from fourth year and above wear a dark blue tie. All items of uniform bear the school insignia.

School shows

From the late 1970s until the mid 1990s, Hillhead High enjoyed a reputation for producing the best school shows in Glasgow. The tradition for staging quality musicals began in 1977 when Oklahoma! was performed at Partick Burgh Halls as a result of a very successful production collaboration between classics teacher Alistair Fulton and music teacher Irene McLennan. This partnership, over the following years, provided a chance for many pupils to develop their talents both on-stage and backstage. The growing popularity of the shows led to the decision to perform them at the Mitchell Theatre, which helped to add to the professionalism of the productions. In 1985, to celebrate the school's centenary, a special version of The Music Man was produced, which featured several former pupils as cast members. Culminating the partnership between Fulton and McLennan was the Scottish premiere of Li'l Abner in the summer of 1992, after which McLennan retired. In 1994 Fulton again produced Oklahoma! as his farewell show before retiring. The following year Calamity Jane was produced by a new production team consisting of two music teachers and two English teachers, and was very well received. However this proved to be the final show after a run of nearly twenty years. The decision to withdraw the school shows was very unpopular amongst the school's pupils who had grown up watching their older siblings perform and had been waiting eagerly to follow in their footsteps once they were old enough. With the more recent reintroduction of school shows, Hillhead continues to be highly productive, with shows such as Bugsy Malone being highly acclaimed and drawing a large number of pupils into participation on and off stage. In 2005, senior pupils performed in the Citizens' Theatre and won the "Young Actors' Award" for their performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Notable alumni

• Shahbaz Chauhdry, contestant on Big Brother UK series 7.
• Stanley Baxter, comedian. (Parliamo Glasgow)
• Menzies Campbell, advocate and politician.
• James Alfred Wight, writer (pen name: James Herriot).
• Jonathan Watson, comedian. (Only an Excuse?)
• Laura Fraser, actor.
• Judith Williams, actor.

External links

• Hillhead High's official wesbite
  
• League tables for the school — Taken from BBC Education

• Schools in Glasgow
• Education in Glasgow
• Secondary Schools in Glasgow