Lawside Academy

Lawside was 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 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 if one was suitably qualified. A member of the Sisters held the position of vice-rector into the 1970s.…