John Bosco Secondary School

Not to be confused with St. John Bosco High School.

John Bosco Secondary School
Location
Information
Type	Comprehensive
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1974
Closed	1997
Gender	Co-educational
Language	English

John Bosco Secondary School was a Catholic Secondary School in the Oatlands area of Glasgow in Scotland. Named in honour of John Bosco, it was located at Wolseley Street, close to Richmond Park. The campus was designed by architect John Morton Cochrane of Honeyman, Jack & Robertson Architectural Practice.^[1] The design and build incorporated the building of the former St. Bonaventure's Junior Secondary School. It was commissioned by The Corporation of Glasgow Education Department and was officially opened on 12 November 1974 by the Archbishop of Glasgow, Thomas Winning.

The school had a catchment area of south-eastern Glasgow: Oatlands, the Gorbals, Hutchesontown, Govanhill and Toryglen. Due to changes in demographics, the pupil numbers dropped over a number of years. By 1996 there were only about 300 pupils at the school, from an original roll of 1000.^[2][3]

In 1994 the school tried to opt out of local governance, but Ian Lang, Secretary of State for Scotland, opposed this.^[4]

The school closed in 1997; the districts it served now fall within the catchment of Holyrood Secondary School in Crosshill.^[5]

Notable former pupils

• Susan Boyle (Clinical Psychologist), former Lead Coordinator of the award-winning Glasgow & Clyde Weight Management Service (NHS).^[6][7]
• Paddy Connolly, former professional footballer and coach. He played for Dundee United, St Johnstone, Airdrieonians, Greenock Morton, Ayr United, Stirling Albion and Brechin City, made three appearances for Scotland under-21s.
• Owen Coyle, Professional Football Manager (Indian Super League club Jamshedpur FC). He played as a striker for Airdrionians, Bolton Wanderers, Dundee United and Motherwell, and made one appearance for the Republic of Ireland national team.^[8]
• Tony Deeney, Author. Winner of the Mervyn Peake Award 2016.^[9]
• Paul Ferry, best known for his role as Sandy McKinley in the BBC Two drama series Maggie, who lost his life in a car accident at the age of 16 in 1981, while still a pupil at the school.^[10]
• Des Hamilton (casting director), winner of BAFTA for Top Boy, former actor.
• Michael Matheson,^[11] Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, having previously served as the Cabinet Secretary for Justice from 2014 to 2018. He has represented Central Scotland and, since 2007, the Falkirk West constituency.
• Tony McDaid, Executive Director of Education Resources, South Lanarkshire Council (former pupil and teacher).^[3][12]
• Frank McLintock, former professional footballer and pundit. He played for Arsenal, Shawfield, Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, 14 caps for Scotland. He attended St Bonaventure's School, prior to it being extended and being renamed John Bosco.
• Joe Mullaney, best known for his role as Ronnie Witherspoon in Restless Natives (1985)
• John Spencer, former professional footballer and coach. He played for Rangers, Chelsea, Everton, Greenock Morton, Lai Sun, QPR and Colorado Rapids, 14 caps for Scotland

References

1. "Dictionary of Scottish Architects". RIAS. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
2. "Glasgow leads first wave of closures". Tes Global Ltd. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
3. "Happy to be a PE teacher until I got a Head start". The Herald. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
4. Sommerville, Stuart (18 March 1994). "John Bosco board respond to Lang's opt-out refusal". The Reformer. Rutherglen. p. 13. - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
5. "Written Answers Thursday 11 August 2005. Scottish Executive". RIAS. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
6. "Obesity clinic named best in the country". The Scotsman. 29 November 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
7. "After my Natasha died, food only comfort. Now I'm determined to escape from the nightmare of bingeing". The Evening Times, now renamed The Glasgow Times. 12 December 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
8. McDermott, Scott (22 May 2014). "Football: First Person with Owen Coyle; VETERAN striker Owen Coyle is in his fourth spell at Airdrie and has also played for Dundee United, Dumbarton, Clydebank, Bolton, Ross County Falkirk, Dunfermline and Motherwell. Here he tells SCOTT McDERMOTT about the notable firsts that have helped shape his life". Scottish Daily Record & Sunday. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
9. "Deeney wins Peake Prize". Glasgow Evening Times. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
10. "Newseries Maggie". BBC Genome Project. 17 February 1981. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
11. "Justice Secretary faces calls to probe drug plague that claimed life of former schoolfriend". Daily Record. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
12. "Face to Face: Education Director Tony McDaid". The Herald. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2019.

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