Jordanhill College of Education, Glasgow (now the Faculty of Education in the University of Strathclyde) had its origins in the transfer of the responsibility for education from church to secular bodies. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict., c. 62) the control of schools in Scotland was passed from heritors and kirk sessions to local school boards, but churches continued to be responsible for teacher training colleges. By the early 20th century, however, this was an increasing financial burden for religious bodies and negotiations began to transfer the training colleges to secular control.
Four Provincial Committees were formed in January 1905 based on the notional provinces served by the four ancient universities: Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Aberdeen. In 1907, the committees assumed control of the church training colleges, with the exception of the Roman Catholic college of Notre Dame, in Glasgow. These Provincial Committees were reconstituted in 1920 under the control of a National Committee for the Training of Teachers, acting through a Central Executive Committee. Notre Dame College then came within its control.
The Glasgow Provincial Committee for the Training of Teachers took over the Church of Scotland and United Free Church Training Colleges in 1907 and at first operated the combined college, the Glasgow Provincial Training College, on two sites at Dundas Vale and Stow (no relation to the present day Stow College of Engineering). The Committee was keen to find a new site for the college and the choice fell on the estate of Jordanhill, the property of Sir James Parker Smith MP (b 1854). The sale was concluded in 1911 and work began on the red sandstone building (later named the Stow building), a student hostel and a demonstration school, Jordanhill (College) School, which in 1988 became independent from the College.
The move to the Jordanhill site took place in 1921 and the College was known as Jordanhill Training College until 1959 when it became Jordanhill College of Education.The Glasgow Provincial Committee and the Central Executive Committee continued to administer the college until 1959 when under revised teacher training regulations, Jordanhill was constituted an independent College of Education under its own Board of Governors.
In the post war era, student numbers increased dramatically, reaching a high point of 3500 full-time students in the early 1970s and later stabilising at around 2600 FTE (2000 FT). There was enormous pressure on accommodation and, between 1958 and 1973, new buildings were erected for technical education, science and physical education, and the Crawfurd and Wood buildings provided more generous general teaching accommodation, a theatre and a new, spacious library.
At the time of the merger with the University of Strathclyde in 1993, Jordanhill was the largest and one of the best equipped colleges of education in the United Kingdom. The College continues as the Faculty of Education of the University, still retaining the name Jordanhill which is recognised throughout the world.
