The High School of Glasgow has celebrated its 900th anniversary with a civic reception and the launch of a fundraising appeal.
Founded in around 1124, the High School is Scotland’s oldest school, starting out as a “Sang School” or choir school for boys at Glasgow Cathedral.
Guests at the reception at the City Chambers heard from the Lord Provost and John O’Neill, rector of the school, who reflected on the school’s long history. He paid tribute to Norrie Thomson and Lord Macfarlane, who were key in sustaining and building the current modern, co-educational school.
Music was woven throughout the evening, with guests treated to music by Maya M on the clarsach, a Celtic harp, as they climbed the ornate marble staircase of the City Chambers.
True to the singing tradition of the school, the chamber choir also performed a range of songs.
To mark its significant anniversary, the school is running a year-long programme of events which began in January with a dinner at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum attended by 450 guests.
Other projects this year included planting 3600 trees, a gala musical concert at the Royal Concert Hall in June and a 900km sponsored cycle across the UK in September. There will also be a special 900 Commemorative and Thanksgiving Service in September at Glasgow Cathedral.
The school has also launched a fundraising appeal, the 900 Campaign, to increase its bursary fund, to ensure its campuses are environmentally friendly and to further develop START, a design thinking and entrepreneurship programme.
In 2023, 60 senior school pupils received full or partial means-tested bursaries, allowing them to attend the High School irrespective of their families’ financial circumstances. Bursaries are awarded through the school’s separate charitable Educational Trust.