I Survived Lawside R.C. Academy

This page is for all of us ex-Lawsiders out there. A member of the Sisters held the position of vice-rector into the 1970s. Peters, St. Pauls and St.

Lawside was originally founded as an independent school for girls by the Sisters of Mercy in 1907, but soon began to admit boys. The school was operated on the same site as the convent, which was located on the lower slopes of the Dundee Law (the word means hill); hence the name of both convent and school. With the Education (Scotland) Act of 1918, the school chose to enter the state system as the

Act laid out certain guarantees for denominational schools which came under state control. Amongst the prerogatives that Lawside had were that the rector or vice-rector would come from the Sisters of Mercy should one be suitably qualified. Whilst non-denominational schools tended to provide only a weekly period of religious education, Catholic schools were permitted a period each day, something which Lawside maintained until the 1990s when this was reduced to 3x40 minute periods per week, then to 2x50 minute periods in 2005. A bonus particularly enjoyed by students until the late 1970s was that school began an hour later on days which were major religious feasts; this was to allow students to attend morning Mass in their respective parish churches. Until 1962 Lawside was both a primary and secondary school with many of its pupils attending only Lawside for the whole of their education. However, the primary intake of 1955 was to be the last and from 1962 the school catered only for secondary level students. As the school enrollment grew, the need arose for physical expansion of the facilities. However, the convent grounds were unsuitable, and so the "Annexe", a former primary school, was opened on Blackness Road. One bonus of being in the "Annexe" was that it was much closer to the centre of town than the main school, and so afforded greater opportunity for lunch time wanderings. Both wings of the school moved to a new campus just off Macalpine Road in the northern part of Dundee in 1966. As was traditiona,l the school was split into houses: St. Andrews, the patron saint of Scotland; each had a housemaster and housemistress. Until the introduction of comprehensive education in the 1970s, Lawside served as the only Catholic academy for many miles, with students travelling from places such as Perth, Forfar, Arbroath and northern Fife. Although Catholic in character, Lawside both attracted and welcomed students from other denominations. At any one time, it was estimated that 20% of the student body was not Catholic. The school badge was of an unusual design, resembling a three leafed clover, which represented the Holy Trinity. It consisted of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by a papal tiara. The letters "L.A." for Lawside Academy were found in the two lower circles, whilst the school motto "Laborare et Orare" ("to work and to pray") from the Order of St Benedict curved around the edge.

17/06/2026

Thanks for being a top engager and making it onto my weekly engagement list! 🎉

Brian Day, Jackie Hutton, Marian Wilsdon

02/06/2026

RIP Paddy Malone. Lawside class 1L in 1987.

MALONE Peacefully, in Ninewells Hospital, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Patrick (Paddy). Much loved brother of Jane, loving brother-in-law of Mike and devoted uncle of Jack. Funeral service in Dundee Crematorium on Tuesday, June 9, at 10.30 a.m. to which all friends are invited. Family flowers only please, but donations, if desired, may be made at the crematorium, for the Renal Unit, Ninewells.

31/05/2026

Thanks to Ms Mulvey for sharing this 2006 photo.

29/05/2026

RIP to Retired Lawside teacher Margaret Angus McFarlane.

McFARLANE
Peacefully, at home, surrounded by her closest family, following a long battle with cancer, on Monday, May 18, 2026, Margaret Angus McFarlane (nee Low), aged 82 years (retired teacher, Lawside Academy, St Saviour's R.C. High School and St John's R.C. High, 1977-2008). She is survived and greatly missed by her 3 children, Michelle, Mark and Debbie, 6 grandchildren and their families. R.I.P.

Reception of Remains at St Peter and Paul's R.C. Church, Byron Street, Dundee, on Friday, June 12, at 5 p.m. Funeral Mass on Saturday, at 9 a.m., to which all family and friends are respectfully invited. Interment thereafter in Birkhill Cemetery, arriving main gate at 11 a.m. The family kindly ask that donations be made, if desired, in lieu of flowers, to one of the following charities which were close to Margaret's heart, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mary's Meals and Dundee Foodbank. For those unable to attend, links to view the Reception and Funeral Mass, as well as an opportunity to share memories and condolences, can be found at linktr.ee/McFarlane

https://jamesashton.co.uk/funeral-announcements/

Walk through doors of new Lawside Academy in 1966 thanks to archive photos of old Dundee school

15/05/2026

"These black and white photographs from the DC Thomson archives take us back through the doors as [Lawside] pupils settled into their new building.

It marked a fresh start for the school that once held a unique place in history, as the most northerly state Catholic school in Europe."

Walk through doors of new Lawside Academy in 1966 thanks to archive photos of old Dundee school The city's population was rising in the 60s and the new building marked a fresh start for pupils at what was once the most northerly state Catholic school in Europe.

05/05/2026

Thanks for being a top engager and making it onto the weekly engagement list! 🎉

Raymond Flood, Wendy Warden, Alan Hendry

29/04/2026

Sannies.

25/04/2026

You can buy Mr Simpson's book 'A Dundonian Sings to a Cabbage' from Amazon.

I have my copy and I can't wait to read it!

Blurb:
In this wry, big-hearted memoir, Bill Simpson keeps that promise and serves up a life lived at full tilt: from post-war tenements and shipyard queues to Ghanaian staffrooms, Ethiopian deserts and Bahraini playgrounds; from football terraces and family skelps to school trips, stage frights and small miracles of everyday kindness.

A Dundonian Sings to a Cabbage is at once laugh-out-loud funny and quietly profound, a tapestry of vignettes stitched with self-deprecation, curiosity and grace - proof that no life is ever ordinary at all. A vivid, humane chorus of “classrooms, countries and confusion,” it hums with warmth long after the bell rings.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dundonian-Sings-Cabbage-Adventures-Classrooms/dp/B0G5RZYBP8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TGAHV832S5XV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.c7P61BZww5KFW6uEOgruIg.Sg_Or0cosgK4hBrQ392lPauymP1g8CnnonpkGig8Ws4&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+dundonian+sings+to+a+cabbage&qid=1777144180&sprefix=dundonia%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

19/05/2024

🤣🤣🤣

18/05/2024

Or Club Kingsize! 🤣

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I Survived Lawside R.C. Academy

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