Thoughts on Boclair Academy vs Hyndland

[Placingrequests]

Recently moved into East Dunbartonshire after being within Glasgow. Have a child in S2 at Hyndland that got in on a placing request. 2nd child due to start S1 this Summer also has a placing request for Hyndland but have just registered in our catchment of Boclair. I never really registered this school’s existence when we were deciding on child 1’s schooling. Obviously Douglas and Bearsden are the leading lights for East Dunbartonshire but looking at last year’s results Boclair was only 1 % point behind Douglas in the exam result tables (74 vs 75 with 3 or more Highers)

I went and saw Boclair and admittedly the building is dated and a bit shabby but I was impressed by the Art and Music departments and it had a great feel. The staff seemed cheery and friendly too. It seemed to be a very nurturing place.

Now obviously on the ‘deprivation’ points (SMID) it’s higher by quite a lot compared to Bearsden and Douglas but significantly lower than Hyndland’s.

I’m also a wee bit wary of the Rangers youth team affiliation and wonder if that causes any issues within the school in terms of football rivalry, football ‘swagger’ and wannabe WAG-type behaviours!! Although having said that it’s doing some excellent stuff on female leadership and mentoring which I find immensely encouraging.

Any experience or knowledge you’d be willing to share would be much appreciated! I’m not averse to having my children at 2 different schools BTW although my DS would be gutted that he would have to wear a uniform when his sister doesn’t 😄

How does your children feel about a move?friends,being settled,etc
Can they get the train from bearsden to Hyndland to attend school
Write down the pro/cons of each option, ask your kids their opinion

I wouldn’t get tied up in knots about smids

It’s the west of Scotland there will always be a beef about footy.even on the well manicured lawns of East Dunbartonshire and the G12 massive. Have no idea if it’s more an issue at boclair than anywhere else

How will kids at two schools impact on you,eg work,logistics etc

I went to the "better more established" school the same as my older sibling. In retrospect I would have been much happier at the catchment school with all my mates.

I can remember when Boclair was built and was being populated from S1 upwards - I was at Bearsden Academy at the time

I wouldn't be concerned by it technically having a slightly lower SIMD than Bearsden and Douglas - it still has a mostly motivated catchment with parents who will support the school.

Your dc will do well at either Boclair or Hyndland, so pick the one where they will be happiest and/or is most convenient.

Thanks for your replies. My child certainly enjoys the social side of things at Hyndland and the lack of uniform. I must admit to not being overly bowled over by the school though. Kids can do very well there but there’s quite a few getting some outside tutoring come exam time or the parents having to put in some considerable extra legwork to fill in the gaps in some subjects. But maybe that’s the same for everywhere. The journey to both schools would take the same amount of time. DS would still need to catch a school bus to Boclair even though it’s our catchment school as it’s too far to walk and public transport isn’t good. That obviously impacts on after school curricular activities because the bus only runs late on one day a week.

Of course this could all become academic if he doesn’t get in to Hyndland. But having a sibling there already means this outcome is unlikely. I guess I just have to see what happens and write that pros and cons list 😊

I have several friends with children at Boclair, all are happy. Yes it's an older 1960s building and DD reports that her friends don't get as much Drama as they do at other schools - but they have a pool.

I think people are maybe misunderstanding the football thing - the Rangers training ground is very close by, and the boys who are in the rangers youth system mainly attend Boclair. It's a partnership thing, much deeper than the usual football stuff. Having said that, I haven't heard that it causes any issues.

I understand the RFC youth team & boclair partnership.not heard it creates big issues
Having said that it’s the west Coast, footy and sectarianism is in the culture
Having said that Boclair & Hyndland are affluent catchment and class is a factor

£30m has been budgeted to completely redo boclair academy.