High life

Excellence in the heart of Dundee

The High School of Dundee is a place where children enjoy an inspiring and creative education. Just this month, artworks by three pupils have gone on display in the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy annual exhibition in Edinburgh. In February, performers in S2 and S3 wowed the school community with a mesmerising production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And last month, drama and music combined to stunning effect when pupils performed an enchanting Chronological Cabaret.

The school believes creativity lies at the heart of great education, providing well-documented benefits in thinking skills, teamwork, leadership and health and wellbeing. It’s the goal of staff to give youngsters the opportunities, means and confidence to use it. And with the redevelopment of Dundee’s former Head Post Office building at Meadowside into a multi-million pound Centre for Performing and Visual Arts, the school aims to give pupils a brand-new, cutting-edge setting for their creativity to take flight.

Creativity doesn’t just apply to the arts though. It means having the initiative to put new ideas to productive use in any context – including cancer research. In January, S6 pupil Maria Pisliakova won a place in the final of the Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineering Competition after conducting research which uncovered new possibilities of preventing some cancers.

Exam successes also speak for themselves. In 2016 the school recorded the best SQA Higher results in Tayside and Fife, with S5 pupils achieving a pass rate of 96% and 63% of those passes graded A. 2016 also saw pupils achieve the top marks in Scotland in six SQA subjects and score 100% not once, but five times. Equipped with results like these, 95% of pupils head for universities across Scotland and beyond.

The Integrated Curriculum brings together the academic, the co-curricular and pupil health and wellbeing to provide a coordinated, genuine all-round education with the pupil at its heart. In the primary years children receive subject specialist teaching in science, modern languages, ICT, art, music, drama, PE and health and food technology. Choice is paramount and in S3 pupils continue to be able to choose eight subjects, while in S5 they can select from 26 at Higher level. At Advanced Higher 21 subjects are available.

Pupils have access to almost 100 inspiring co-curricular activities, take advantage of top-of-the-range sports facilities and have the chance to take part in a range of stimulating trips.

Early Years funding towards places at the purpose-built nursery on Arbroath Road is now available. The friendly facility is open to all, from 7.30am-6pm, 50 weeks of the year.

Contact the school to arrange a visit – you will receive a warm welcome.

Pupils at the High School of Dundee with a familiar face from the popular Oor Wullie Bucket Trail.