Headteacher Welcome

                                   John McKay

A very warm welcome to our website.

Thank you for taking the time to visit us.
I do hope that you find the information you are looking for.

 Who are we in Uddingston Grammar School?

Uddingston Grammar School has served the communities of Uddingston, Bothwell, Viewpark, Tannochside and Cambuslang since about 1864 in one guise or another. We are a fully 6 year comprehensive school, who are also the home of the South Lanarkshire Visually Impaired Secondary Service. Our catchment area crosses into North Lanarkshire Council, and a significant number of our young people are transported to school. We are part of the Uddingston Learning Community, which comprises ourselves, our associated feeder primary partners, Aitkenhead, Bothwell, Muiredge, Newton Farm and Tannochside Primaries, as well as the associated early years and nursery services.

The school has a roll of around 1380 young people which is expected to rise to over 1400 young people over the coming years. We have a compliment of about 100 teaching staff, spread across the mainstream school and our specialist teaching staff in Visual Impairment.

I have a Senior Leadership Team of 6 (full time equivalent) Deputes;

We also have 7 (full time equivalent) Principal Teachers of Pupil Support responsible for our 7 House Groups, named after Scottish Islands, which young people are part of.

They are;

As part of our  Pupil Welfare Strategic Team we have our girls programme RISE and our mixed intensive programme RISE+ as well as our boys group EXCEED.

There are more details about the Senior Leadership Team and the Pupil Support House structure within the website contents.

At Uddingston Grammar School, we are dedicated to helping everyone reach their full potential. Our guiding principle is "Virtue Crescam", a Latin phrase that means growing in excellence. This principle is reflected in our core values, represented by the acronym CARES: Compassion,;

Ambition;

Respect;

Equity; and

Success.

We regularly review and update our aims and values to stay current with educational advancements and to align with strategic goals, such as those in South Lanarkshire Council's Education Resources Plan.

We pride ourselves on being a UNICEF Rights Respecting School, bolstered by an active Parent Council and Pupil Empowerment Team, promoting the UNCRC. Our school culture is one of openness, fairness, trust, and mutual respect. We believe in encouraging participation and involvement, fostering a sense of shared ownership, and celebrating achievements, whether small or significant.

In line with the Council's Education Resources Plan, our goal is to provide a safe, secure, and intellectually stimulating environment. This environment challenges pupils appropriately while reflecting our commitment to fairness and excellence in education (as detailed in Section Two of the Council's Plan). Our role extends beyond teaching; we guide, support, and assist in collaboration with our pupils' carers and families. This approach resonates with the Council's strategy to utilise equity funding and data to offer targeted activities and resources, ensuring a holistic educational experience for our pupils (see Section Five of the Council's Plan).

At Uddingston Grammar School, we strive to create a nurturing space where pupils can grow, experience life, and discover their identities. This objective aligns with the Council's Plan, focusing on reducing educational disparities and enhancing overall wellbeing, equipping our young people for their future (refer to Section Two in the Council's Plan). Our educational journey with our young people is a collaborative effort, reflecting our deep commitment to their success and wellbeing.

Working together, we encourage our young people to become;

Successful Learners; Confident Individuals; Responsible Citizens and Effective Contributors.

We have a huge range of curricular initiatives, extra-curricular activities, clubs, opportunities for leadership, charity fundraisers, outdoor learning, excursions both home and abroad, work experience, college placements amongst but a few.

We believe that every young person deserves the best from us. We believe that we judge our success by their successes. We believe that by working together, with young people, their families and their communities, we can make a difference. We are not perfect. We seek to listen and to learn and to always improve. Our young people matter to us.

Nurture: Our nurturing school

Uddingston Grammar School has delivered strong, supportive nurturing approaches for many years for our pupils and we are committed to developing this further through our Whole School Nurturing Approach.

At Uddingston Grammar we recognise that positive relationships are central to both learning and wellbeing. 

A nurturing approach has a key focus on our school environment and emphasises the balance between care and challenge.  We strive to forge warm positive relationships alongside structure, high expectations and a focus on achievement and attainment.

Nurturing approaches are based on the understanding of 6 core principles:

• All our young people’s learning is understood developmentally
• Our school environment offer a safe place for all young people
• Nurture and nurturing relationships are important for the development of wellbeing
• Language is a vital means of communication
• All behaviour is communication
• Transitions are important in young people’s lives

A Whole School Nurturing approach at Uddingston Grammar is universal.  We aim to promote inclusive, respectful relationships across our whole school community, including learners, staff parents/carers and our partners.

At Uddingston Grammar School, our nurturing approach is deeply rooted in our core values: Compassion, Ambition, Respect, Equity, and Success. This approach is in harmony with both the principles outlined in Education Scotland's publication 'Applying Nurture as a Whole School Approach' and the strategic directions of South Lanarkshire Council's Education Resources Plan.

Under Compassion, our commitment aligns with Education Scotland's emphasis on positive relationships and attachment theory, as fundamental to learning and wellbeing (see "A nurturing approach", Paragraphs 1-3 in Education Scotland's document). This is further supported by the Education Resources Plan's focus on equity and closing the attainment gap, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds (refer to "Key areas of focus for the year ahead", Section Two in the Council's Plan).

In fostering Ambition, we draw from both documents: Education Scotland's guidelines on nurturing approaches to support behaviour and achievement (see "Guidance on nurturing approach", Paragraphs 6-8), and the Council's Plan emphasis on improving literacy, numeracy, and developing skills for learning, life, and work (refer to "Resource Outcomes", Section Three).

Respect is a key aspect of our ethos, reflected in our adoption of Education Scotland's framework on inclusive, respectful relationships across the school community (see "Key Values", Paragraphs 9-11 in Education Scotland's document), and echoed in the Council's Plan's commitment to inclusive education (see "Measures and actions", Section Four).

Addressing Equity, we recognise the importance of closing the attainment gap as outlined in both the National Improvement Framework (refer to "National Improvement Framework", Paragraphs 12-14 in Education Scotland's document) and the Council’s Plan's strategic priorities for equity and poverty reduction (refer to "Resourcing the Plan", Section Five).

Finally, in pursuit of Success, our approach is guided by both Education Scotland's emphasis on Health and Wellbeing as a 'Responsibility of All' (see "Learning in Health and Wellbeing", Paragraphs 15-17), and the Council's Plan's focus on using data effectively for better outcomes in student wellbeing (refer to "Consultation and Engagement", Section Two).

In conclusion, Uddingston Grammar School's nurturing approach, informed by both Education Scotland and South Lanarkshire Council's Education Resources Plan, embodies our core values and is pivotal in providing an outstanding educational experience for all our students.

 We welcome you to be part of Our Nurturing School.

We are Uddingston Grammar.

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