exams, returning first. There was a second fire on 29 June 2009 in the Games Hall and community use cafe shortly before 5pm; the damaged building was deemed safe, and the awards ceremony due that evening went ahead as planned. Pupils attended school the following day as usual. Houses Current houses The houses at Balwearie are named after various farms located on the outskirts of Kirkcaldy. Former houses Rectors of Balwearie High School Catchment area The school's catchment area covers much of the south and west of Kirkcaldy, as well as Kinghorn, Burntisland and Auchtertool. Balwearie's associated primary schools are Auchtertool, Burntisland, Dunnikier, Kinghorn, Strathallan and Kirkcaldy West. Curriculum A high staying on rate is reflected in large numbers gaining employment, training or Further or Higher Education. The school originally won a Charter Mark Award for excellence in public service in 2001, this has now been renewed. The school also has the Schools Curriculum Award. Balwearie is known for having a large sciences department as well as a STEM programme started by former rector Dr James More which involves 6th year sciences students visiting catchment primary schools to encourage future Balwearie pupils to take an interest in science. Recently pupils in an Alternative Curriculum Group won a Fife Excellence Award and the magazine club won the Scotsman/Royal Bank of Scotland 'Design a Newspaper'. More recently, a Young Enterprise company in the school scooped two of the three trophies. The school is also part of the Erasmus Programme, going on over the two sessions of 2015/16 and 2016/17. School Board and Parent Council Balwearie is supported by a School Board and a Parent Council – the Balwearie High School Association. The Balwearie High School Association provides volunteers for many of the school's social events, including the biennial School Musical. Notable former pupils Colin Cameron, footballer Stephen Dick, hockey player who represented Great Britain in the Beijing Olympics Murray Douglas, professional rugby player, Brumbies Sharon Small, actress Lewis Stevenson, footballer David Torrance, Scottish National Party MSP Motto The school's motto is "To Strive, to Seek", taken from the final line of Tennyson's Ulysses. The line ends "...to find, and not to yield." HMIe inspection In February 2008 the school underwent an inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE). In October/November 2017, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Balwearie High School. References External links Official Website Balwearie High School on