Archbishop Philip Tartaglia
A challenge to the status of Scotland’s last remaining state-funded single sex school has been backed by the Catholic Church.
Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia said a formal consultation on the future of the all-girl Notre Dame High School would be a “positive step forward so that all the school communities which have an interest in the proposal can have their say”.
Families from the co-educational Notre Dame Primary, in the west end of the city, want the council to hold a consultation on letting boys into the secondary.
Nearly 90 per cent of parents from the primary have already backed the move and there has been further support from most parent councils in feeder primaries.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said no decision had been taken on whether to explore a statutory consultation.
While there are still a number of single sex private schools in Scotland, Notre Dame High, a Catholic school founded in 1897, is the only remaining single sex comprehensive.
Its unique status means it attracts families from across the city who want single sex education for their daughters, including those from the Catholic community and Muslim parents.
• Full story at The Herald.