Vale of Leven Academy

Story

Vale of Leven Academy is a non-denominational secondary school in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The current school building, opened in June 2009, has a capacity for approximately 1,100 pupils.HistoryThe school is situated in the south of Alexandria, on the border with Renton. The school site also includes St. Martin's RC Primary school. This site was first used in 1962 when the school relocated there from its previous location, approximately one mile north, the sandstone building which now houses Christie Park primary School. This building had been built in 1884 as the North Public School.By the early 1970s the school had become overcrowded with many classes taking place in temporary huts. A new building or extension was opened in 1973, in the place of the tennis courts, adding 28 new classrooms along with a large gym hall, library and cafeteria.In 1996 the school was used as a filming location for Scottish Television series Take the High Road, specifically for school scenes starring Gary Hollywood's character Dominic. Filming took place during school holidays and many pupils came in uniform to act as extras.In the early hours on Saturday, 22 June 2002 the 'New Building' (still called that 3 decades after being built) was set on fire, completely destroying the building and spreading debris up to three miles away. For the next seven years many lessons were taught in temporary portacabin.In early 2008 building work started on a new school building, a public private partnership between West Dunbartonshire Council and Dutch company BAM. the school was finished in June 2009 and opened for the next school term that August.