| Douglas Academy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
Mains Estate ,, G62 7HL Scotland | |
| Information | |
| Type | State secondary school |
| Motto | Neart Tre Eolas (Strength Through Knowledge) |
| Established | 1967; 58 years ago (1967) |
| Chair of the School Board | Ramsay Shields[2] |
| Headteacher | Michael Healy[1] |
| Staff | c. 100 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 993 (Session 2015–16) |
| Website | www |
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Douglas Academy is anon-denominational, co-educational,comprehensivesecondary school in the town ofMilngavie,East Dunbartonshire, serving the Milngavie, Craigton andBaldernock areas. In 2007, Douglas Academy was ranked as Scotland's top performingstate school, and with every year the school continues to place among the highest in Scotland.[3][4]
The school is named after theDouglases of Mains, who were a branch family of theClan Douglas. The Douglases are an ancientclan, and subsequentnoble house from theScottish Lowlands who held vast territories throughout theScottish Borders;Angus,Lothian,Moray, and in France andSweden. The Douglases of Mains were related to the main branch through their common ancestorArchibald I, Lord of Douglas, aScottish medieval nobleman born in the 12th century.
The lands of the Mains, where the school is situated, were originally granted by theEarl of Lennox to Maurice Galbraith in the 13th century.The Galbraith Family held these lands until 1373, when a descendant of Lord Douglas'ssecond son, Nicholas Douglas, married Janet Galbraith, the heiress of the Mains. Thus, the Douglas family inherited the extensive lands of the Mains, and were elevated toLairds of the estate in the same year byKing Robert II of Scotland.[5]
The title became extinct in the 20th century; the last33+1⁄2 acres (13.6 hectares) of the estate (including the house) was sold toDunbartonshire county[6] and was subsequently used for the erection of the secondary school, Douglas Academy, in Milngavie prior to the death of the last heir, the 21st Lord of Mains,Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Vivian Campbell Douglas in 1977.[7]
The original school building served the site from 1967 until 2009, when it was demolished and replaced with a newer one.[citation needed]
As part of an extensive PPP project (Public-Private Partnership) marshalled by theScottish Government with £100 million funding, Douglas Academy has been rebuilt along with various otherEast Dunbartonshire schools. The new Douglas Academy building replaced the old school with a modern new look from the beginning of the 2009–2010 school year.[citation needed]
These schools, as associate schools, are the main "feeder" schools for Douglas Academy.
Thecoat of arms on the school badge combines references to the school's geographical position and to the history of the grounds in which it is situated. It was designed by a student. The upper half, with its cross and roses, is part of the arms of the Burgh of Milngavie, while the lower half is thearms of Douglas of Mains, owners for many generations of the Mains Estate on which the school stands. By tradition, the heart represents the heart of Bruce, taken by a member of the Douglas family oncrusade against the Moors. TheGaelic motto "Neart-Tre-Eolas" means "Strength Through Knowledge".[8]
The former Douglas Academy pupil, ...
... Docherty representing Milngavie's Douglas Academy ...
... he was still a pupil at Douglas Academy, Milngavie.
55°56′48″N4°20′39″W / 55.94667°N 4.34417°W /55.94667; -4.34417