His bequest stated that the school was to ensure that education for working class children was to be provided at a low cost.

A ceremonial key from the school's opening is on show at Andrew Carnegie's Birthplace Museum, also in Dunfermline.

[4] During the first world war, McLean school was used as an army barracks for soldiers stationed in Dunfermline.

In the 1930s, the head teacher Norman Johnson helped pioneer the use of film in schools.

[3] The original school building opened in 1896 is still in use today but was altered significantly in 1984 to modernise the interior.