Dunfermline High School

THIS WEBSITE IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Dunfermline High School has a very proud history of providing secondary education to the children of Dunfermline since 1128.  It is a six-year non-denominational comprehensive school with almost 1600 pupils and serves the area to the south of Dunfermline’s High Street all the way to the River Forth at Rosyth’s Dockyard and also the villages of Kincardine and Tulliallian to the west.  The catchment area is mixed and there are areas of socio-economic deprivation.  The “Free Meals Entitlement” (FME) figure has risen from 8.4% to 12.4 % over the last two years.  Out of an average S1 intake of around 300 pupils in recent years, approximately 80 are “placement requests” from pupils outwith the formal catchment area.  The associated or cluster primary schools are:  Commercial, St Leonard’s, Canmore, Pitreavie, Camdean, King’s Road and Tulliallian.

Dunfermline High School moved into a brand new “state of the art” £40 million building in August 2012.  It has been built to accommodate up to 1800 pupils and has extensive new playing fields and a very large Astro-surface.  Internally there is a Sports Hall, two Gymnasia, Dance Studio, Fitness Suite, Drama Studio with Rehearsal Rooms and purpose built facilities for ALL teaching subjects including, for example, a Commercial Kitchen for Hospitality.  There is a large Assembly Hall with tiered seating, Cafeteria, Coffee Bar, and modern Library and Resources Centre.  The school has approximately 1200 computers or laptops and has full wireless technology.  The opportunities afforded to pupils (and staff) by the new facilities are simply outstanding.

The school has developed very good partnerships with parents/carers and the community.  The Parent Council is one of the largest in Scotland and is extremely supportive.  Parents are kept well-informed about school activities and achievements through well-presented information booklets, handbooks, newsletters, magazines, the school’s website and regular articles in the local press.  Parents receive clear information about their children’s progress through letters, formal and informal reports and parents’ evenings.  Information sessions are also organised for parents at key transition stages and in relation to current developments (e.g.  Curriculum for Excellence, Assessment and Reporting).  The school also has excellent links and relationships with numerous external groups and agencies (e.g. Psychological Services, Social Work, ICS, Police, Apex Scotland and Community Services).  Dunfermline High School is also a full “Community Use School” and is one of the busiest in Scotland.  The school’s links with its “cluster primaries”, Adam Smith and Carnegie Colleges and several local industries and businesses are very good and are being further developed.

The current Rector took up post in January 2007.  The school was signed-off from an HMIe Follow-Up Inspection in September 2007, received a “very good” report following a School Review by Fife Council’s Education Service in March 2010 and was commented upon as being “excellent” and “outstanding” following an HMIe Curriculum for Excellence Validation Exercise in November 2010.  The school then had a successful full HMIe Inspection in November 2011 at a time of significantly “increased expectations” after which it was officially “signed off”.

Overall the school is definitely “improving” but undoubtedly has the capacity and desire for further improvement in the coming years.