Portobello Burgh Public School opened in Duddingston Park on April 26th, 1876, four years after the Education Act which had made elementary education compulsory for children aged 5-13. Before that date, Portobello had relied on numerous small private schools to provide education but they had only limited accommodation.

The school began in what was then a new one storey building, with a roll of 290 pupils and a staff of 4 – the Headmaster, Mr Henry Dow, and three teachers.  Initially they were assisted by pupil teachers and by the Janitor who was also the attendance officer and drill instructor.

As pupil numbers and class sizes grew over the years, the Duddingston Park building was continually altered and extended.  By 1894, school fees – originally ranging from 3 -7 pence per week for standards 1 to 7 – had been abolished for all elementary education and a secondary department offering further education for 3 years was established.  Thirteen years later, with free education for all, Portobello had been designated as a Higher Grade school, offering a broader and more specialised curriculum to those staying on beyond the leaving age of 14 years.  Only pupils who had passed a qualifying exam could begin this course of study. For the 100 pupils enrolled on this course in 1907, class sizes were limited to 30.  Other innovations in later years included the school magazine “the Tower”, and clubs for drama and sports while in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, practical and commercial subjects were introduced. 

By the mid -1930’s the school roll was 1000 strong and numbers further increased after the “baby boom” at the end of WW2.   The result was that in February 1958, Portobello Burgh Public school became a Secondary school only.  The entire junior department had moved to the new Duddingston Primary.  The move did not solve the problem of overcrowding in the secondary for long.  The High School was soon on the move again. In 1964, a new 9-storey building, with facilities described as “state of the art” was opened by Princess Alexandra.

Despite the size of Portobello High’s new home, the original building, now known as the Annexe, had to be brought into use shortly afterwards.   By the early 1970’s, with 17 first year classes, the raising of the school leaving age to 16 and a huge roll overall, the comprehensive entered the record books for a short time as the largest school in Europe. 

It was never intended to last for 50 years, and by the end of its life it was creaking desperately. Only one of its four lifts worked, the roof leaked endlessly, and there was a serious structural crack in one gable end. Eventually, and despite some intense opposition that required legislation to overcome, the current building opened on Milton Road – just a couple of hundred yards from the 1876 location.

Thanks to former Portobello High School teachers Gordon Lawrie and Sheila MacIver for their contributions to this page.