SCOTLAND’S only school dedicated to sporting excellence could close and be replaced by a bursary scheme due to difficulty securing financial support.
The future of Glasgow School of Sport (GSOS), based at Bellahouston Academy, will be decided on Thursday as a report into the school is set to be presented to the council’s administration committee.
The report into the school, which is run by the city’s council and Glasgow Life, reportedly suggested a transition period for pupils which would conclude by June 2026, following other local authorities and the Scottish Government being unable to provide funding.
No new pupils were recruited to the school for 2024/25, while the school's operators sought funding.
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Sportscotland, Scottish Institute of Sport and other national governing bodies were also unable to financially support the programme.
Discussions are reportedly ongoing with national governing bodies on how to support pupils at GSOS if the school were to close.
Students at the end of the proposed transition period will have the opportunity to continue studying at Bellahouston while their sporting efforts shift to “excellence programmes” delivered by the governing bodies of each sport.
The report which will be delivered at the committee meeting will recommend developing a sports bursary programme for students.
Education Services and Glasgow Life would develop the proposed programme for June 2026, which would coincide with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
In the report, Bailie Annette Christie, the city convener for culture, sport, and international relations, stated that Glasgow Life’s cost of operating GSOS in 2023/24 was £767,900 and was not included in the service fee from Glasgow City Council.
Only 37% of the school’s pupils live within the Glasgow City Council area, with the other 63% coming from 12 other Scottish local authority areas.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: “The current School of Sport model was introduced more than 25 years ago and was designed to meet the needs of pupils from across Scotland at the time.
“Since then, national funding for governing bodies of sport has improved the support they offer prospective athletes considerably, offering multiple pathways to elite sports competition.
“In considering whether Glasgow School of Sport offers the appropriate model in the wider national context, we have also proposed a new way to support young athletes from Glasgow to achieve their full potential.”
GSOS first opened its doors in 1998 and has more than 1100 pupils, 65 of whom specialise in athletics, badminton, gymnastics, hockey, or swimming.
Former pupils at the school include swimmer Michael Jamieson, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, and badminton player Kirsty Gilmour.
Pupils specialise in one sport and the programme offers dedicated sports coaching within the academic school week.
