News & Updates

Chapter Three of Elaine Cochrane’s ‘History of Gillespie’s’ is now available on the ‘School and its History’ page. The remaining Chapters 4 and 5 will be posted over the next few weeks.

Following the Alumni(ae) team meeting on Saturday, and confirmation today that the school is available on our chosen dates, we are delighted to announce that there will be two ‘Gillespie Gatherings’ this year.
The first is on Saturday 27 April 2024 in the Muriel Spark Building in the morning 10 am to 12.30 pm.
The second is on Saturday 5 October 2024 also in the MSB but this time in the afternoon 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm. Come along, look at old school magazines, photographs, memorabilia, chat, meet your friends and former schoolmates. All welcome.
Further information will be posted in due course.

Each week JGHS Head Teacher, Neil McCallum, publishes a HT Friday update for staff, pupils, parents and carers. Some of the items are school-specific and some relate to the wider JGHS community. This new page will feature items that might be of interest to Trust members and JGHS Alumni(ae).
James Gillespie’s School news

The Preface and Chapter Two of Elaine Cochrane’s ‘History of Gillespie’s’ are now available on the ‘School and its History’ page. The remaining Chapters 3, 4 and 5 will be posted over the next few weeks.

2024 is the centenary of the 1924 Olympic games and the Olympic debut of Gillespie’s former pupil Ellen King who was selected to represent Great Britain in the 1924 Olympic swimming team. Ellen was the youngest member of the British team at the age of 15. She went on to win numerous Scottish, European, British Empire and World medals and records and, after she turned professional in 1934, dedicated her life to swimming teaching and coaching in Edinburgh. Ellen was born in 1909 and died 30 years ago in 1994. The 1924 James Gillespie’s School Magazine features Ellen King with a photograph and some results.

All very best wishes to all our readers for the coming year 2024.

We are delighted to report that, as promised, the first chapter of the History of James Gillespie’s, written in 1953 by Elaine Cochrane, has now been posted on ‘The School and its History’ page. Further chapters will be posted in due course

Thank you to all who responded to the previous post regarding Elaine Cochrane. In 1953 a detailed ‘History of James Gillespie’s’ was written by Elaine Cynthia Joan Cochrane, S3, as a school essay writing project. We have now been in touch with Elaine and she has kindly given permission for her essay to be published on this website, chapter by chapter. Look out for it from January 2024.

I wonder if anyone knows anything about Elaine C. J. Cochrane who was in S3 in 1953 and wrote an essay about the history of the school. I cannot find any birth, marriage or death records and wonder if she may have moved abroad. Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Shockingly, next year, 50 years will have passed since the 1968 S1s at James Gillespie’s High School for Girls left sixth year. An informal reunion is planned for Saturday 27th April 2024 in the afternoon, somewhere in central Edinburgh.
Planning is in the early stages but it seemed important to get a date before the festive season when people may be getting in touch, and holidays being planned.
I’m hoping to get a wee group together (maybe one from each house) to collate the names of people that are interested in finding out more and also who have contact details for others. There will be many more decisions and help needed I’m sure!
Please email me Sheila Wragg at alumni@jamesgillespiestrust.com with ‘JGHS Reunion 68-74’ in the title:

• if you would like to be kept in touch about the reunion
• with the names of people you have been able to pass  this information on to
• would like to be involved in the planning (no matter how small a role you would be able to play)

Even if you can’t come, please get in touch.
Hope to hear from you and see you in April.
Best wishes, Sheila

As many of you may know Jean Knox stepped down earlier this month as Alumni administrator for the James Gillespie’s Trust and, on behalf of the James Gillespie’s Alumni, I would like to thank Jean for her many years of dedicated service.   

This role has now been taken over by a small team of former pupils and the new ‘James Gillespie’s Trust Alumni Team’ is having its first meeting on Sunday 3 December 2023 to discuss prospective alumni activities and events. We have some ideas, but we would very much like to garner suggestions and thoughts from our fellow alumni and invite you to let us know what kind of plans you would like to see the Alumni team developing for the benefit of our alumni and the James Gillespie’s Trust. Please let us know at alumni@jamesgillespiestrust.com   If possible by 3 December but we are always happy to hear from you with suggestions and ideas.

The James Gillespie’s Trust Alumni team maintains a database of about 1000 former pupils from the 1930s to the present day. This contact information is used with discretion to communicate about events and to facilitate communication for reunions and gatherings. If you are or if you know of former pupils who might be interested in joining the alumni database, please complete the application form on this website and/or pass on our contact details. There is no membership fee.     

We have heard that many of you already have your own groups: classmates, year groups, sports teams, friends, etc. and that some of you meet weekly, monthly, annually or for major reunions every 10 years or so. The Alumni team would like to help you find any of your friends or classmates, listed on our database, and to facilitate communication, if you so wish. We have already received two enquiries about a possible 50-year reunion next year for leavers from 1974 and, while we cannot offer to organise reunions, we are happy to help in any way we can. Do let us know if you would be interested in organising or attending such an event.   

The James Gillespie’s Trust website and Facebook pages will be undergoing some changes in the coming weeks, and we will be preparing a newsletter for circulation early in 2024.  We are excited about making contact with alumni from the primary school, the boy’s school which closed in 1973 and the High School, expanding our alumni(ae) database and to hearing from former pupils interested in the work of the Trust.   

Fiona Donaldson, on behalf of the Alumni team