This thread was originally written and published in May 2022. It has been lightly edited and corrected as applicable for this post.

This thread starts with a picture taken of the former Tynecastle School on McLeod Street – it was moved to new buildings further down the same street in 2010. It was built by the Edinburgh School Board from 1910-12 to the designs of their architect John A. Carfrae. This was what was known as a Continuation or Supplementary School i.e. continuing education beyond the statutory limit, or gaining supplementary education in specialist subjects. Such schools were later known as Junior Secondaries. It was to provide a “technical and clerical” education for 1,200 children in the Gorgie and Dalry area. This was meant those who didn’t pass their qualification (Quali) exams at the age of 11 for Higher Grade school, which at this time were schools offering the “Intermediate Certificate” to prepare students for going on to professional vocations and for a few perhaps, University.

Such schools were the beginning of a specialisation in secondary education for many children into more technical, career-focussed education. Previously most would had stayed on until the age of 14 (13 until 1901) and been taught a largely academic curriculum in a non-specialist school; the brighter or better off being able to attend the Royal High School or one of the endowed schools such as James Gillespie’s, George Heriot’s or those of the Merchant Company for a proper secondary education. Tynecastle was built around the same time as the James Clark School at St. Leonards and Bellevue School (at Bellevue, now called Drummond High School), as the School Board sought to greatly increase this sort of provision.

These schools were aimed at working class children who aspired to pick up particular specialist trades or to enter a clerical rather than a strictly manual occupation. Tynecastle was built to a fairly strict budget and instead of the traditional stonework, it was built almost entirely of brick, most of which was hidden behind harling to greatly reduce the cost; facing brick, which was more expensive to produce and for which Scotland did not have a large supply of skilled bricklayers, was saved only for detailing. The use of external landings to give access to classrooms was very of its time; there was a real concern about the spread of infectious diseases, particularly tuberculosis, and huge efforts were being made in school design to try and deal with it. It also reduced costs as internal corridors were not required.

Children from 11-14 were taught at Tynecastle when it opened, with evening and weekend classes for older children or adults. There was a strict separation of the sexes, with academic lessons taught in the main building and the practical skills being taught in workshops to the rear of the quadrangle. As such they could not be seen from the road so were “given Spartan treatment” architecturally.

The school opened with only 12 classes, for 500 boys, in the spring of 1912, fully opening on November 12th 1912, the ceremony being performed by the Rt. Hon. Alexander Ure, Lord Advocate. Within a few years, 25 classes were occupied and there was a roll of 790 boys and girls. Subjects on offer included woodworking, plumbing, cobbling, hairdressing, engineering, plastering, laundry, sewing, cooking, trade blouse-making, millinery, dressmaking and housewifery. A speciality of Tynecastle was motor body building.

Schools like Tynecastle can directly be compared and contrasted to their far more lavishly finished and appointed Higher Grade contemporaries; where you went if you passed your Quali. For this district of Edinburgh this meant Boroughmuir (the only other School Board Higher Grade schools at this time being Broughton and Portobello). Coincidentally, at the same time that Tynecastle was being built, Boroughmuir was being rebuilt, also to the designs of Carfrae.