Ringing endorsement... as pupils give their new school top marks

Sep 25 2008 by Graham Fraser, Hamilton Advertiser

PARENTS and pupils of John Ogilvie High School have given their new building a resounding thumbs-up.

The school’s head teacher Eddie Morrison recently invited the Advertiser to the school to speak to selected pupils from all year groups, along with head boy David McFall and head girl Claire Brown.

All of the children were positive about the new £17.6m school, which opened to its 900 pupils and staff last month.

With demolition work on the old school building occurring only yards from the new complex, pupils found it “a little weird” to see their old haunt in such a state.

But it did not deter their positive outlook on the new surroundings.

“It has a lot of space”, “ it has a good working environment” and “a fantastic IT suite” were among the many positive comments made.

Eddie Morrison said: “The school is proving to be an enormous hit with staff and pupils alike and provides a new focus for the local community.”

The school hosts theatre-standard sound and lighting equipment, a feature welcomed by 14-year-old Graham Wylie.

“We can now have really good drama lessons,” he said.

“We couldn’t do anything like that before but we now have more opportunities.”

Sports, the pupils agreed, is a key element when assessing any school’s strengths.

The new building includes a gymnasium and a four-badminton court games hall of 594 square metres.

Next year, a full-size, floodlit all-weather pitch is due for completion as part of the continued development of the Farm Road school.

Head boy David McFall said: “Even though the pitches are being built, we can still hold football practices nearby so we are very pleased about that.”

School transport to and from the new John Ogilvie High is an issue the Advertiser has reported on in the past.

Several angry parents are dismayed that their children are no longer eligible for bus passes... even though the school has moved only a matter of yards.

That view was endorsed by the pupils present last week, but Eddie Morrison said: “I have never seen it as a major problem but, like anything else, it will sort itself out in time.”

The head teacher concluded: “The building is of the highest standard, providing a stimulating and innovative learning environment.”

Tom Meechan, chairman of John Ogilvie High School Parent Forum, said enthusiastically: “As a parent I am absolutely thrilled at the possibilities within our new school.

“This is a bright, airy, and uplifting building with facilities and equipment that are second to none and, with the support of the learning community, this arena can only help to motivate and inspire our young people to excel beyond the targets they have set for themselves and become positive members of the wider community.”

So it was time to say goodbye to the pupils and let them get back to their lessons.

But before they left, they highlighted one problem with their new school.

“The bell sounds like Fireman Sam,” commented one amused senior.

She was right.