Notre Dame College of Education (Glasgow)

The first training college for male Catholic teachers in the United Kingdom, St Mary's College in London, opened in 1850. It was followed by two colleges for women teachers: Mount Pleasant College in Liverpool in 1856 and Wandsworth College in London in 1874. As there were no Catholic training colleges in Scotland, teachers at Catholic schools in Scotland trained at the English colleges. In 1872 a Scottish education act set up a Scotch Education Department and made primary education between the ages of five and thirteen free and compulsory. == Dowanhill ==

In 1891 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow set up a committee to plan for a "Training College for Schoolmistresses" following a recommendation from the Scottish Education Department. Dowanhill in the West End of Glasgow was chosen for its existing schools, its closeness to the University of Glasgow and its tram network. The Notre Dame Training College for women was opened in 1893, and began teaching in January 1895. Lescher served as principal from 1893 until her retirement in 1919. In 1920 the Catholic colleges in Scotland became the responsibility of a National Committee for the Training of Teachers, with four provincial committees, corresponding to the four ancient universities of Scotland. In 1897 Notre Dame School was opened as a private secondary and Montessori school. == Bearsden ==

In 1874, the Archbishop of Glasgow, Charles Eyre originally established St Peter's College, a Catholic seminary, in Partickhill. In 1892, he decided to move it to Bearsden, a town northwest of Glasgow. In 1966, to replace the seminary, a new campus for Notre Dame College of Education was built on the site. It was designed by the same architects as St Peter's Seminary, Cardross, the firm of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia (GKC). It was built in a U-shape, with two teaching blocks, a physical education building and five student accommodation buildings. The complex was opened in 1969. Male students were admitted from 1967. In 1981, Notre Dame College merged with Craiglockhart College to form St Andrew's College of Education, a national Catholic college In 2002, the teaching college was relocated and the site was declared surplus to university requirements. ==Notable alumni==

• Bill Butler, politician • Anne McGuire, politician • Rosemary McKenna, politician • Monica Taylor, protozoologist == References ==