Fidelis et Fortis
Faithful and Brave
Our Vision
Our vision is to provide a curriculum which enables all learners at James Gillespie’s High School to achieve their potential. We aim for excellence in learning and teaching and expect all learners to be actively engaged in their own learning. We recognise that learning is a lifelong process and is one to which we, as a school community, make a significant and lasting contribution.
Our Values
Respect
Kindness
Integrity
Inclusion
High Expectations
Bruntsfield House
Bruntsfield House and its lands changed hands over centuries, from the Brownes in the 14th century to the Lauders, who rebuilt the house after its destruction in 1544, and later to the Fairlies, who added to it in the early 1600s. Sold to the Warrender family in 1695, the house gained its famous “Ghost Room” and Green Lady legend before later additions were removed and the surrounding estate became the distinctive setting for the modern school.
We can trace our heritage back to 1803, when Scotland’s first free school opened its doors in Bruntsfield Place.
A history of our school
Over 220 years of education in Edinburgh — from a merchant’s bequest to a modern campus
“We can trace our heritage back to 1803, when Scotland’s first free school opened its doors in Bruntsfield Place.”— James Gillespie’s High School
