School of excellence: Cardinal Newman High

WHEN he was a student at Oxford, John Henry Newman wrote a poem about the snapdragons beside his study window – not realising it would inspire the naming of a school restaurant at a school in Bellshill.

The Snapdragon, which recently won College Restaurant of the Year, is the pride of Cardinal Newman High, which excels at vocational education. Not only does the school in North Lanarkshire have a £300,000 professional kitchen and fully-working restaurant – pupils can also study construction, digital photography and horticulture, via a partnership with Motherwell College.

Headteacher Isabelle Boyd says: "The policy of North Lanarkshire is for schools to concentrate on one aspect of education. We have pioneered vocational education."

Pupils in S3 and S4 can take a course in professional cookery while senior pupils can sit an SVQ in front of house and food and drink.

"We still have youngsters who will leave with five Highers – we are a fully comprehensive school, "says Mrs Boyd. "Some sixth years might be planning to go to university to study law or architecture but they can add on hospitality courses as part of their sixth year, so when they go to university or college, they can get more than the minimum wage to help support themselves."

Snapdragon opens on Thursday and Friday lunchtimes, when a two-course meal costs £5. The restaurant becomes a senior citizens' club one afternoon a week while the kitchen is also used by another local school.

Next year, the vocational programme will expand to includehorticulture, in conjunction with Oatridge College in West Lothian. Part of the school is being converted to an indoor greenhouse, while a polytunnel is being erected in the grounds.

Craft and design teachers work with college lecturers to train pupils in painting and decorating, building work and electrical engineering, while the digital photography course was the idea of an art teacher whowanted to become involved in the vocational programme.

Mrs Boyd says: "The biggest issue for me is getting the college to come to the school rather than pupils going to the college – that way there is no loss of teaching time."

All the activity in the school has opened unexpected doors. The architect who designed the restaurant now comes into school to teach technical drawing, for example while some hospitality students are going on a work experience trip to Majorca.

Mrs Boyd says: "There is a different atmosphere in the school. We have seen some of the youngsters on these courses blossom in terms of self-confidence and self-esteem and there are so many spin-offs which help make Cardinal Newman such a vibrant place."