Westside School was first opened in 1982. It was built to provide proper facilities for the pupils of the Girls’ Comprehensive School which had been in existence, spread over three different sites in the town area, since 1972.
The original Girls’ Comprehensive School was the result of the amalgamation of four girls’ secondary schools: Loreto High School, St. Joseph’s Secondary School, St. Margaret’s School, and St. David’s Commercial School. There are at present over 1000 students at Westside School. Their needs are met by a staff that includes seventy teachers as well as over thirty office, laboratory, care-taking and cleaning staff. Westside School offers a wide range of courses leading to GCSE examinations in Year 11, AS Levels in Year 12 and A Levels in Year 13.