East Renfrewshire school named as Scotland's 'Secondary School of the Year'

Williamwood High School has been named The Sunday Times Scotland Secondary School of the Year, with five East Renfrewshire schools being named in the top ten.

Now the school has been named as Scotland’s secondary school of the year.

The award was announced by The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2023 and cited the consistency of the school its persistent drive to maximise the talents of all pupils, in and out of the classroom as some of the main factors behind its award.

Best secondary schools in Scotland 2023 according to The Sunday Times Schools Guide

Williamwood has been named as Scotland's secondary school of the year

Announcing the award, the Sunday Times said that the distinctive tree emblem on pupils’ blazers sums up its motto: “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow” and that Williamwood’s consistency as a heavy hitter and its persistent drive to maximise the talents of all pupils, in and out of the classroom makes it their Scottish School of the Year.

In a release announcing the winner, they said: “The smart uniform sends a strong message about standards at the oversubscribed school and its 140 extracurricular clubs are part of its drive to realise the potential of all students. Similarly, a skills development programme sees pupils in S3 offered masterclasses in everything from make-up to codebreaking and SAS-style challenges.”

Williamwood was also named as one of the top performing schools in Scotland, with 26 per cent achieving two advanced highers, 77 per cent achieving 5+ highers and 94 per cent achieving 5+ National 5 awards.

Nicola MacGlashan, the head teacher, who took up her post in August 2021 said that “Using the value of ambition has been a real focus for the school.”