Park Mains High School

Park Mains High School
School building
Address
Barrhill Road Erskine, Renfrewshire Scotland
Coordinates	55°54′09″N 4°27′32″W
Information
Type	Public School
Established	1974
School district	Renfrewshire Council
Head teacher	Alan Dick
Enrollment	1,500+
Color(s)	Blue and black
Website	http://www.parkmainshigh.renfrewshire.sch.uk/

Park Mains High School is a secondary school in Erskine, Renfrewshire. It is one of the biggest schools in Scotland. As well as taking in students from the town it also enrolls them from the surrounding areas of Bishopton (including the new Dargavel Village^[1]), Inchinnan, and Langbank.

New school building (2012–present)

Renfrewshire Council granted a new multimillion-pound rebuild of the school. The new building was opened in August 2012 at a cost of £31M.^[2] It was designed and planned by Holmes Miller. Construction was completed by Bam Construction. FES Ltd were the contractors for the electrical, mechanical, IT installations and fire and security systems.^[3][4] The building offers a larger, brighter space for the pupils to feel in a social hub whilst still being in a controlled learning environment. One key feature of the school is the central "street area" with natural sunlight. The school's new sports complex has a multi-use games hall and gymnasium. The site of the old school building is now a £400,000 multi-use 3G sports pitch with running track. There are also hockey pitches and a rugby field.^[5][6] The school building has regularly featured in architectural publications. It has received award nominations for its design and construction.^[7][8]

Guidance

Pupils are assigned to a guidance group in their first year at Park Mains. The guidance groups are named after some of the Scottish Isles. These are Skye, Arran, Bute and Mull. Pupils remain in these groups until their departure from the school.

Notable former pupils

See also: Category:People educated at Park Mains High School

• Chris Aitken, former footballer, now assistant manager at East Kilbride FC^{[citation needed]}
• Stephen Aitken, Former footballer, now manager at East Kilbride thistle
• Wendy Alexander, former leader of the Scottish Labour Party
• Douglas Alexander, former Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary
• Kenny Inglis, composer & music producer^{[citation needed]}
• James Laidlaw, William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge since 2016.
• Keith Lasley, former footballer, now assistant manager at Motherwell FC
• Peter Leven, former footballer, assistant manager at Kilmarnock FC
• Derek Lilley, former footballer
• Kirsty Mitchell, actress and former Miss Scotland
• Brian O'Neil, former footballer^{[citation needed]}
• Blair Spittal, footballer at Motherwell
• Dougie Vipond, TV presenter & Deacon Blue drummer

Notable former teachers

• Michael Shanks, politician^[9]

References

1. "Dargavel Village - a new way of living in Bishopton". www.dargavelvillage.co.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
2. "New high school for Erskine - Opening of £31m Park Mains High School". Clydewaterfront.com. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
3. "News". Fes.ltd.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
5. "Erskine Community Sports Centre - Renfrewshire Leisure Limited". Renfrewshireleisure.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
6. "Battle for pitches won | News". The Gazette. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
7. "The 30 Most Amazing High School Campuses in the World-Pinnacle Architecture". Pinnaclearchitecture.com. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
8. "News". Fes.ltd.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
9. Paterson, Stewart (5 January 2022). "Meet Michael: the man who ran every single Glasgow street". Glasgow Times. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.

External links

• Mains High School Official Website
• Park Mains High School @ Scottish Schools Online