The Heads of the Hutchesons' Schools
Dr. Kenneth M. Greig, Rector since 2005, who had held senior posts in three HMC schools including five years as Head of a boarding school, returned to Scotland with a clear understanding of the Hutchesons' tradition of academic excellence. He initiated the closure of the Lilybank site, built the Kingarth Street library and encouraged sport and drama through further new building.
Thomas Menzies, Head of the Boys' School from 1861 to 1902, saw in a period of fundamental change as Hutchesons' was transformed from a two-teacher charity school to a secondary, at one time the only one on the south side. Menzies was not a graduate but trained in Stow's Normal College. He introduced classrooms and whole-class teaching, a timetable, setting by ability and dux prizes to the first in each class.Fees came in during his tenure, but he believed strongly in free schooling.
Robert Philp, Headmaster of the Boys' School from 1902 to 1913, had to accommodate his own beliefs to a new world of certification and Inspections. He believed in neither whole-class teaching nor in homework, but by 1904 Hutchy senior boys nevertheless had "five hours nightly". He built a gym, a science laboratory, an art room, acquired a football field and began Woodwork. He dropped Anglo-Saxon, a symbol of his modernising management fitting the School for the twentieth century.
W. King Gilles, Rector of the Boys' School from 1913 to 1919, was appointed to improve the School's academic and social standing. A highly-qualified Classics graduate, he made Hutchesons' the Claasics school it was to be for the next half-century. He introduced Rugby, wore a mortar-board, and he and the teachers wore gowns. Discipline was fierce. He began a Cadet Corps, cricket, the first Old Boys' Club and opened a lunchroom. His dislike of Crown St. meant he stayed only six years.
J.C. Scott, Rector of the Boys' School from 1920 to 1932, developed both the corporate life of the school and its academic standing. The Leaving Certificate results outstripped the past and the School began its long domination of the University's Bursaries List The first School Sports' Day was held (at Ibrox Park), and 7 years later Auldhouse was opened, very much because of him. .He introduced the School Song and a new blazer, using red and green, the colours of Glasgow Corporation. He too saw this as a City School.
W. Tod Ritchie, Rector of the Boys' School from 1932 to 1945, was a scholar and athlete with 3 Headships behind him.He believed in an all-round education and saw Auldhouse as an uncovered classroom. He led the School to even better Leaving Certificate results and by the end of the War the School had never been more over-subscribed. He fought long and hard for a new building - even during the War.Re-locating to the suburbs was his idea. But for the War, Beaton Road might well have been built in his time.
James A. Watson, Rector of the Boys' School from 1945 to 1955, was the first Head since Philp to be appointed from within the School, as Principal of Classics since 1937. He secured its modern reputation as a centre of academic excellence (usually topping the Bursary List) and under him Hutchesons' rugby became a power. Very conscious of the tradition, he organised the Tercentenary Celebrations in 1950, with the City Chambers being lent by Glasgow Corporation for a Civic Reception.
John M. Hutchison, Rector of the Boys' School from 1955 to 1966, had also been a Hutchesons' Principal Teacher (from '37 to '47). He oversaw the building of the new School at Crossmyloof, with the Junior Block opening in 1957 before the full opening in 1959-60. He built up Science to rival Classics, and pioneered new mathematics and science courses. Founders' Day (from 1961) was his idea. A great believer in the school being open to ability regardless of means, he also lifted the rule requiring seniors to wear caps.
Peter Whyte, Rector of the Boys' School from 1966 to 1976, and of the amalgamated Schools until 1978, is the oldest surviving Hutchesons' Head. An erstwhile RAF Squadron Leader and international expert on the New Maths of the 'sixties, he played a vital role in these two most significant developments of the 'seventies, independence and co-educational schooling. Amalgamation involved a massive amount of work by the Boys' Head and Girls' Principal and its success was a unique achievement.
Dr. Gilmour D. Isaac, Rector of the School from 1978 to 1984, had been Rector of Marr College. He brought much expertise to developing the management of the amalgamated institutions, transferring Seondary II to Beaton Road, appointing a Head of Lower School to Kingarth Street, and generally improving administration to meet with ever-more bureaucratic times.A believer in "stretching" pupils and in the Scottish tradition of education, he was
a firm and caring upholder of the School's values.
Paul. V. Brian, Rector for only a year, in 1984-85, came to the school with a very considerable reputation as a highly successful Head in the maintained sector. The first Rector since Hutchison to have taken up the post from a local authority school, his educational and management perspectives met with opposition from entrenched interests within the school and, to the Governors' regret, he soon returned to a comprehensive school headship.
Miss J.C. Murray was Interim Rector of the School for one year, 1985-86. She was the first woman to head a co-educational H.M.C school, and the first Head since Philp to have spent an uninterrupted career in Hutchesons' service. Academically gifted and a fine teacher, she was a constructive and progressive supporter of amalgamation, and a believer in "learning from the past but not living in it". She handed on to her successor a strengthened school, "a school in good heart," said the Chairman.
David R. Ward, Rector of the School from 1986 to 1999, was the first Head not to have taught in Scotland before his appointment. A Public School Head and author, he quickly made the school his own through a prodigious work-rate, encyclopaedic knowledge of everyone and everything and a determination to make things happen. The School was outstandingly successful academically under him, and he led the major building programme which transformed Beaton Rd. making it fit for the future.
John Knowles, Rector of the School from 1999 to 2005, also came form England where he had been a Head and was prominent in national educational circles. He continued with such interests in Scotland and the School witnessed more up to date pastoral care and staff development, with committees designed to involve staff in distributed management. The development of IT on all the sites, a major project and now an indispensable part of the School, was encouraged by him.
Isabella McIver was Principal of the Girls' School from 1948 to 1973 and a legend in her own lifetime. Gifted with the ability to get her own way on just about everything,she made the Girls' School a redoubtable bastion of excellence growing to almost twice the size of the Boys'. Also prominent in national education circles, she aimed "her girls" unambiguously at high-achieving futures in male-dominated spheres.She banned belting, supported and worked for amalgamation selflessly, and lives on in the minds of her former pupils.
Margaret Kennedy was the first Principal of the Girls' School from 1927 to 1948. She widened opportunities for less academic girls but kept everyone on their toes, "No effective lesson is ever given from a chair", said her Staff Regulations. She began sports (on the athletic ground opposite Kingarth St.), brightened the uniform, organised many overseas trips, saw to debates and dances with the Boys' School and, during the War, started a Girls' Training Corps.She thought every school should have its own country house.
William McVicar was the Head of the Girls' School from 1914 to 1927, and had long been his predecessor's "right hand man". He attached great importance to "social usefulness" and during the War teachers and pupils formed a "Ladies Auxiliary" to help troops in Glasgow. Pupils set up play-centres for poor children and much fund-raising went on.He confirmed the academic standard as excellent, and never did anything to encourage "Housewifery" and "Domestic Science". Like King Gillies, he set the tone for the future.
Dr. William Thomson, Head of the Girls' Grammar School from 1885 to 1914, was a progressive thinker, a follower of the Montessori Method and in his own subject, Modern Languages, introduced teaching through oral methods, leaving formal grammar for later.He banned homework, wanted learning to be fun, and introduced "Teaching" as a subject for senior girls.He set classes by ability not age. In favour of entry by ability not money, he continued the tradition of high academic standards but by different means
James Lochead was the first Head of the Girls' School, from its opening in Elgin Street in 1876 until 1885. Like Menzies not a graduate, Lochead was a follower of the Madras System and used pupil-teachers. The School was organised on the lines of the new Revised Code but added six further subjects, including drawing, history and geography. He insisted on higher standards than the Code required, and saw the results as his girls took the highest places in the Higher Education Bursary Examinations.
Rectors Whyte, Watson & Hutchison at a Beaton Road Sports Day in the 'sixties.
Rectors Ward, Greig and Whyte at Beaton Road in 2010