There was no school in Shieldhill until the formation of the Polmont School Board. In 1875 it was agreed to erect a school in the village to serve the local community. The plans were drawn up by T B McFadzen in August that year and the school opened on the north side of Main Street, a little west of the Cross Brae, on 28 September 1876. There were two small classrooms. It had modest charges for the scholars:
- Under Standard I 2d per week
- Standard I 2 ½ d “
- Standards II and III 3 ½ d “
- Standard IV and V 3 ¼ d “
- Standard VI 4d
The fees were payable fortnightly but no charge was made for pens and ink. Water supply was a problem and in 1888 it was decided to construct an iron water tank to collect rainwater. In the end water barrels were used with a filter to save on costs. Supervising two rooms with a small staff was difficult and so the internal division was removed, only to be reinstated four years later.
In 1901 a modest extension was built, Abercrombie doing the masonry and Walker the joiner work. A further extension was required by 1908 to cater for the increase in the number of children remaining at school to an older age. It had been noted that 21 of the pupils in the supplementary classes at Redding School came from Shieldhill, and 8 from Polmont. It was 1910 before the plans for Shieldhill were approved by the Education Department, by which time it came under the authority of the Grangemouth Parish School Board.
In 1930 the headmaster complained that the schoolhouse next to the school was not suitable for occupation and he had had to store his furniture and occupy a furnished house. It was subsequently enlarged and improved. The school building now contained a library which was made available to the general public and kept open throughout the school holidays. This facility continued for many years.
From August 1947, children formerly enrolled in the Secondary Department at Shieldhill School were sent to Redding School. A bus for conveyance purposes left Shieldhill Cross each week day. The school was old-fashioned and in need of considerable renovation. Instead, it was decided to build a larger, more up-to-date facility on the other side of the road. The new school opened in October 1964.
| YEAR ARRIVED | HEADTEACHER | YEAR LEFT | No. PUPILS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | Walter Gardner | 1899 | 113-230 |
| 1899 | Shand | 1901 | 230 |
| 1901 | Henry Hogg | 1907 | 235 |
| 1907 | Donald Fraser | 1910 | 250 |
| 1910 | Mr J C Lowe | 1913 | |
| 1913 | Gilbert Gray | c1929 | |
| 1930 | John Miller | 1932 | 260 |
| 1932 | Thomas McEwan | 1935 | |
| 1935 | Donald Macintosh | 1937 | |
| 1937 | Robert Cockburn | 1941 | |
| 1941 | John Fleming | 1945 | |
| 1945 | John A Walker | 1948 | |
| 1948 | George N Mochrie | 1953 | |
| 1953 | George A Bennett | ||
| Belinda Tomasik | Present |
Sites and Monuments Record
| Main St | SMR 2006 | NS 8956 7674; NS 8960 7668 |
Falkirk Local History Society 