In 1894, 4 sisters of Notre Dame arrived in Glasgow by train from their Mother House in Liverpool. Their task was to plan for the establishment of a community in Glasgow, and at the same time to further the raison d’etre of the Order, which was principally the education of Catholic girls. As a prelude to this, Notre Dame Training College was opened at Dowanhill in 1895. This institution would be specifically concerned with “teaching the teachers”.
In 1897, Notre Dame School was opened, with a roll of 24 pupils, instructed by two teachers. By 1912, the number of pupils had risen to 193.
Twenty years later, by the mid 1930s, the School was so popular that overcrowding was a real problem. The site of the former Glasgow University Observatory was purchased, and plans were drawn up for a new and larger building. There were some delays due to the fact that the specifications for materials were of particularly high quality. This is self evident and not surprising when one considers the architectural acclaim that the interior and exterior of the building has achieved since then.
Work on the new premises was understandably delayed because of the material shortages during the war years 1939 - 45. The pupils had a personal involvement in the war effort due to the fact they had ‘adopted’ the battleship HMS Glasgow as early as 1937. The Captain and other crew members visited the School, and in return, senior pupils toured the ship when it was in Glasgow in 1943. They regularly sent gift parcels, and raised funds for a gramophone for the crew. They were also in regular contact through the Red Cross with British Prisoners of War in Germany. In 1944, the pupils managed to arrange a special Mass in School and persuaded the Commandant of their adopted Stalag to have a simultaneous Mass in Germany.
It was 1953 before the new building was completed and ready for use. Staff and pupils were struck by the space and light which the new accommodation afforded, compared to the old Victorian building they were accustomed to.
After a closure threat in 1987, which was later lifted, the school has gone from strength to strength. In 1996 the pupil roll reached an all time high of 840 and Notre Dame proudly celebrated its centenary in 1997.
In the new century the newly refurbished and superbly equipped school looks forward to encouraging confident learners for the future.