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Daily Record
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Inside Graham Norton and Scots husband Jono McLeod's impressive property portfolio
Graham Norton boasts an expansive property portfolio with the Irish chat show host recently putting two of his remarkable New York and East London homes up for sale on the market. The 62-year-old Eurovision host, who is married to Scots BAFTA winning filmmaker Jono Mcleod, is said to finally be 'feeling brave enough for a huge change'. Graham tied the knot last year with Jonathan, whose most famous work was the 2022 documentary My Old School starring Alan Cumming, which depicts the story of the Scottish school pupil imposter, Brian Mackinnon, who posed as a 17-year-old boy named Brandon Lee at Bearsden Academy in 1993. The Dublin born comedian and presenter is now selling his beloved pad after 20 years of living in the stunning £5M grade-II listed Georgian house. Graham and Jono's lavish four-storey home sits on the banks of the River Thames in east London. The property boasts two reception rooms and views of the river as well as a riverside garden. The abode also has double-height ceilings, five bathrooms and an internal patio courtyard garden. According to The Sunday Times, Norton said: "We've been thinking about it for a couple of years and I finally feel brave enough to make a huge change to my life. "My favourite times have definitely been enjoying a drink sitting by the river on a summer's evening." Fans are now speculating whether Norton may be considering a move to Scotland, where his husband is originally from, having attended Bearsden Academy himself in the mid 1990s. Meanwhile his Manhattan Carriage House in the US has also been listed for $5.595M. Located at the address of 6 Sniffen Court in Murray Hill, the ivy covered property was once home to supermodel Claudia Schiffer. Norton has owned the property for over two decades now and recently completed an extensive refurbishment on the home, having previously considered settling down in New York before he married his husband Jono. The three-storey carriage abode features two bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as a rooftop deck measuring a spacious 465 square feet. Norton says he felt an instant attraction to Sniffen Court despite now making the decision to sell it. He previously said: "I couldn't stop thinking about it. I finally caved in and flew over to see it." He added: "Once you step into Sniffen Court there is no sense that you are in the heart of Manhattan!" The street has historically attracted other A-list celebrities including legendary composer Cole Porter and rock superstar Lenny Kravitz. It's not the first time Graham has said goodbye to one of his plush homes, having previously sold his six-bedroom seaside pad in 2018 for £2.3M. The stunning mansion in Cooden, Bexhill, had a gorgeous private beach and master bedroom balcony which overlooked spectacular views of the English Channel. According to property records, Graham bought the property for £1.3million in November 2009. Graham's property portfolio does not end there as he also owns the beautiful 4000sqft Ahakista House in his home country of Ireland. The house, which the TV host bought in 2003, is located just an hour away from Bandon, a town in Cork, where Norton grew up. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Graham has previously ventured even further afield with holiday homes, having previously owned a property in Oranjezicht at the foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town. He previously gushed over the abode, saying: "The people couldn't be nicer, the weather more beautiful, the setting round the slopes of Table Mountain more spectacular." Norton sold his much-loved South African home in just four days back in 2009, which was on the market for £500,000, after he was too busy to make good use of it.
Scottish Sun
27-04-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Scotland's best and worst secondary schools revealed in 2025 league table
Scroll down to find the top 20 best and worst high schools in Scotland TOP MARKS Scotland's best and worst secondary schools revealed in 2025 league table Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTLAND'S best and worst secondary schools have been revealed in the 2025 league tables. The figures, published by The Sunday Times, rank high schools based on the percentage of pupils who achieved the 'gold standard' of five Highers or equivalents in 2024 and 2025. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Scotland's best and worst schools have been revealed Credit: Alamy 2 Jordanhill School topped the list for the ninth consecutive year Credit: John Kirkby - The Sun Glasgow Greater Glasgow continues to boast the highest number of top-performing schools - with eight of the top ten dotted across the region. And for the ninth year running, Jordanhill School in Glasgow's West End, took the top gong. The publicly funded secondary surpassed its closest rival by 10 points and achieved a record 94 per cent of gold standard students in 2025. John Anderson, rector of Jordanhill School, said: 'We are delighted for our pupils who have worked incredibly hard to achieve such well-deserved success. 'We are very fortunate to benefit from a fantastic team of teaching and support staff, and our parents are great supporters of the school.' Schools in East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire nabbed seven of the top ten spots - with more than 77 per cent of pupils attaining the gold standard. In second place was Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire with an impressive 80 per cent of pupils achieving the gold standard in 2024 and 83 per cent in 2024. And Woodfarm High School in East Renfrewshire came in at third with 73 per cent in 2024 and 83 per cent in 2025. Schools like Bearsden Academy and Douglas Academy also continue to excel, while Aberdeen Grammar School and Boroughmuir Academy in Edinburgh round out the top ten. All 125,000 Scottish Higher grades which were marked down are overturned and replaced with teachers' marks But Edinburgh's state schools underperform relative to the city's wealth, partly due to the prevalence of private schools. The attainment gap between the country's richest and poorest pupils remains as wide as it was a decade ago - despite government pledges to address it. Schools in more affluent areas continue to achieve far higher results than those situated in more deprived regions. Drumchapel High sits at 334th place with just 14 per cent of pupils achieving the gold standard. The school is located less than two miles from Bearsden Academy, where 78 per cent of students attained the gold standard. Largest improvements LANGHOLM Academy near Gretna was Scotland's most improved school this year. In 2024, Langholm Academy ranked 334th, with fewer than 5 per cent of its pupils achieving the gold standard. By 2025, it had leapt to 128th place, with 40 per cent of pupils reaching the benchmark. Similarly, Plockton High School in the Highlands saw remarkable progress, climbing from 224th to 26th place as its gold standard attainment rose from 30 per cent to 62 per cent. Mallaig High School also made significant strides, jumping from 203rd place in 2024 with 32 per cent of pupils achieving the gold standard, to 37th place in 2025, with 56 per cent. Other schools among the top ten most improved include Thurso High School, Rothesay Academy, Eyemouth High School, Kemnay Academy, Bertha Park High School, and Eastbank Academy. Meanwhile, Jordanhill is funded by the government and is the only school in Scotland to be independently governed, rather than being controlled through the local authority. But with it significantly outperforming nearby council-run schools with similar affluent catchments, its nine-year stint in the top spot has sparked calls for reform. Keir Bloomer, chair of the Commission on School Reform think tank, said: 'Scotland needs to focus on raising standards for all, rather than simply on narrowing the attainment gap. 'In any case, tables such as this say nothing about the gap or, indeed, the quality of schools. 'They simply confirm the huge impact of socioeconomic circumstances on attainment. 'Jordanhill may or may not be a better school than Wester Hailes but it certainly has a more privileged intake. It does benefit from the freedom of action that its form of governance allows and we need to look again at the way that schools are run. This includes ensuring that smaller and less affluent schools get the support they require.' Over recent years, there Scottish education system has faced setbacks with declining exam results, international assessments showing long-term deterioration and concerns over falling standards. Education secretary Jenny Gilruth last year said exam results were "not good enough" as marks fell below pre-pandemic levels. A Scottish government spokesman said: 'The Scottish government is providing direct investment in Scotland's education system and is providing £4.3 billion in this year's budget. This includes continued funding in the £1 billion Scottish Attainment Challenge as part of our key priority to close the poverty-related attainment gap. 'As a result of sustained investment, Scotland has record level of literacy and numeracy in schools, the lowest attainment gap since records began for literacy in primary schools and record number of young people entering work, training, college and university.' The High School League Table 2025 Top 20 Jordanhill School - Grant aided (Glasgow) Mearns Castle High School (East Renfrewshire) Woodfarm High School (East Renfrewshire) St Ninian's High School (East Renfrewshire) Douglas Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Bearsden Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Boclair Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Williamwood High School (East Renfrewshire) Aberdeen Grammar School (Aberdeen City) Boroughmuir High School (City of Edinburgh) Cults Academy (Aberdeen City) Bishopbriggs Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Dunblane High School (Stirling) North Berwick High School (East Lothian) Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire) Linlithgow Academy (West Lothian) James Gillespie's High School (City of Edinburgh) Eastwood High School (East Renfrewshire) Gryffe High School (Renfrewshire) Strathaven Academy (South Lanarkshire) Bottom 20 Whalsay School Stronsay Junior High School Dalry Secondary School Kinlochbervie High School (Highlands) Tiree High School (Argyll & Bute) Sandwick Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Mid Yell Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Baltasound Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Aith Junior High School (Shetland Islands) Sanday Community School (Orkney Islands) Westray Junior High School (Orkney Islands) Wester Hailes High School (City of Edinburgh) Castlebrae Community High School (City of Edinburgh) Pitlochry High School (Perth & Kinross) Kilchuimen Academy (Highland) Tobermory High School (Argyll & Bute) The Community School of Auchterarder (Perth & Kinross) Northfield Academy (Aberdeen City) Inverness High School (Highland) Ivergordon Academy (Highland)
