Glasgow School of Sport to close in 2029

Glasgow’s School of Sport for young athletes will close in 2029, it has been confirmed.

Initial plans to shut down Glasgow School of Sport (GSOS), at Bellahouston Academy, in June this year were shelved after backlash from parents.

Councillors approved a recommendation to keep the school open until June 2029 at a meeting on Thursday.

The move will allow all 38 current pupils to complete their education and sporting development pathway.

Opened in 1998, students at the school specialise in athletics, badminton, gymnastics, hockey or swimming. Former pupils include swimmer Michael Jamieson, an Olympic and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, and badminton player Kirsty Gilmour, who also won a Commonwealth Games silver medal.

Councillors were told the model is now “outdated”.

Bailie Annette Christie, SNP, chair of Glasgow Life and the city’s convener for culture, sport and international relations, said: “Originally, the School of Sport filled a gap in performance sport pathways as the national governing bodies did not exist at that time or needed to be strengthened in their own development pathways and programmes.

“It is now a very outdated model, and I must note the shift in sport development from specialisation to generalisation being favoured by many sports, many academics and sports authorities across the world.”

According to a report, there are currently 38 pupils in S3-S6, down from 60 in April last year. A pause on new students was introduced in 2024 as the council and Glasgow Life looked for funding support.

They wanted financial help to reflect the school’s “national catchment”, but requests were “unsuccessful”, the report added. Currently, 13 students are from Glasgow and 25 from other council areas.

Glasgow Life’s costs for GSOS in 2025/26 were reported as £730,000.

Councillors on the city administration committee agreed to continue the school until 2029 and that Glasgow Life will continue to work with national governing bodies, Sportscotland and the Scottish Institute of Sport to “realign the future delivery and administration of high‑performance programmes”.

They also agreed to the creation of a working group to review the current talented sports performer scheme, and to “tailor its design to better support the evolving needs of talented sports performers in Glasgow”.

After the plan to close the school this year was met with anger from parents and pupils, Glasgow Life – which runs culture, leisure and sport services for the council – appointed independent consultancy firm Kinharvie to gather views from students, families, sports clubs and national governing bodies (NGBs).

It found 82% of parents and pupils who took part in a survey believed the closure would have a “very negative impact” on students’ sporting development.

The company also reported that the “prolonged uncertainty” over the future of the school had “disrupted pupils’ exams, competitions, and subject choices, leaving many unable to plan for the future”.

Bailie Christie said there have been talks with the Scottish Government over future funding to support the development of talented sports performers.

“Nothing has been officially agreed at this point, but they are live conversations, positive conversations, and I would expect to see investment when the new government comes in in May,” she added.