St Mary's School was a privateRoman Catholic day and boarding school for girls, founded in 1945 in a rural setting near Shaftesbury, England. The school had a sixth form and was a member of the Girls' Schools Association. After operating at a loss for some time, the school closed in July 2020.
The entrance of the school, as viewed from the drive
St Mary's was founded in 1945[2] by the nuns of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also known as the Sisters of Loreto) whose principles are based on the life and works of Mary Ward. Hence it had the same motto as its sister schools in Ascot and Cambridge.
The school became a registered charity[3] in 1995. It was managed by a board of governors, but retained its strong Catholic ethos.
In 2018, the charity had an income of £4.7 million. This was £866,000 less than its expenses, which included £943,000 in bursaries and scholarships that were granted to 96 pupils.[1]
Pastoral careedit
As a Catholic school, pupils attended mass and worship services on a regular basis, and spirituality was considered an important part of school life. The houses took turns to lead services, giving pupils a chance to participate in the service themselves. Spiritual retreats were held by year groups throughout the year.[4]
There were three main houses which were named after places where Mary Ward had lived: Newby, Harewell and York.
The school's pastoral care was commended in the 2007 ISI inspection.[5]
Boardingedit
Over half of the school's pupils were boarders, all of them full-time and organised by year groups into five boarding houses.[6]
St Jude: Years 5 to 8
St Edith: Years 9 and 10
St Thomas More: Years 11 and 12
Mary Ward: Year 13
Academic achievementedit
St Mary's was one of the top performing independent schools in the county.[7][8] It was one of the few schools in the county which did not suffer from the new GCSE grading system using the English Baccalaureate introduced in 2010, as candidates achieved a 100% pass rate.[9]
Closureedit
After operating at a loss for some years, the school entered administration in mid-July 2020 and was immediately closed. The school's governors wrote that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had "wiped away" recent financial progress.[10]
Despite lying in Wiltshire, the site was purchased for £10.05 million in January 2021 by Dorset Council, which described it as "suitable for a broad range of services and community uses, which could include provision for Dorset children, supported living for our Dorset care leavers, provision for adults with disabilities, as well as a possible site for businesses to boost our local economy and more besides".[11]
^ abc"St Mary's School Shaftesbury Trust: Trustee's report and financial statements". Charity Commission. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
^Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H (1987). Crowley, D.A. (ed.). "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 13 pp126-138: Donhead St Andrew". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
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St Mary s School was a private Roman Catholic day and boarding school for girls founded in 1945 in a rural setting near Shaftesbury England The school had a sixth form and was a member of the Girls Schools Association After operating at a loss for some time the school closed in July 2020 St Mary s SchoolLocationShaftesbury Wiltshire SP7 9LPEnglandCoordinates51 00 22 N 2 09 54 W 51 006 N 2 165 W 51 006 2 165InformationTypePrivate day and boarding schoolMottoAd Maiorem Dei Gloriam To the Greater Glory of GodReligious affiliation s Roman CatholicEstablished1945FounderInstitute of the Blessed Virgin MaryClosed2020Local authorityDorsetOfstedReportsChair of governorsV Younghusband 1 Head teacherMaria Young 1 GenderGirlsAge9 to 18Colour s GreenPublicationThe Beech TreeDiocesePlymouthWebsitehttp www stmarys eu Although the school s postal address was in Dorset its site lay just over the county border in Wiltshire within the parish of Donhead St Mary Contents 1 History 2 Pastoral care 3 Boarding 4 Academic achievement 5 Closure 6 Notable former pupils 7 References 8 External linksHistory edit nbsp The entrance of the school as viewed from the driveSt Mary s was founded in 1945 2 by the nuns of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary also known as the Sisters of Loreto whose principles are based on the life and works of Mary Ward Hence it had the same motto as its sister schools in Ascot and Cambridge The school became a registered charity 3 in 1995 It was managed by a board of governors but retained its strong Catholic ethos In 2018 the charity had an income of 4 7 million This was 866 000 less than its expenses which included 943 000 in bursaries and scholarships that were granted to 96 pupils 1 Pastoral care editAs a Catholic school pupils attended mass and worship services on a regular basis and spirituality was considered an important part of school life The houses took turns to lead services giving pupils a chance to participate in the service themselves Spiritual retreats were held by year groups throughout the year 4 There were three main houses which were named after places where Mary Ward had lived Newby Harewell and York The school s pastoral care was commended in the 2007 ISI inspection 5 Boarding editOver half of the school s pupils were boarders all of them full time and organised by year groups into five boarding houses 6 St Jude Years 5 to 8 St Edith Years 9 and 10 St Thomas More Years 11 and 12 Mary Ward Year 13Academic achievement editSt Mary s was one of the top performing independent schools in the county 7 8 It was one of the few schools in the county which did not suffer from the new GCSE grading system using the English Baccalaureate introduced in 2010 as candidates achieved a 100 pass rate 9 Closure editAfter operating at a loss for some years the school entered administration in mid July 2020 and was immediately closed The school s governors wrote that the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic had wiped away recent financial progress 10 Despite lying in Wiltshire the site was purchased for 10 05 million in January 2021 by Dorset Council which described it as suitable for a broad range of services and community uses which could include provision for Dorset children supported living for our Dorset care leavers provision for adults with disabilities as well as a possible site for businesses to boost our local economy and more besides 11 Notable former pupils editSee also Category People educated at St Mary s School Shaftesbury Laura Lopes Lady Flora McDonnell Anna Chancellor Martha Fiennes Sophie Kinsella Sarah BradfordReferences edit a b c St Mary s School Shaftesbury Trust Trustee s report and financial statements Charity Commission 31 August 2018 Retrieved 22 October 2020 Freeman Jane Stevenson Janet H 1987 Crowley D A ed Victoria County History Wiltshire Vol 13 pp126 138 Donhead St Andrew British History Online University of London Retrieved 23 June 2016 St Mary s School Shaftesbury Trust registered charity no 292845 Charity Commission for England and Wales Faith Life Archived 25 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Gold star for girls school Dorset Echo 13 May 2007 Introduction to Boarding St Mary s Shaftesbury Retrieved 29 June 2016 2009 A levels results Western Daily Press 28 August 2009 Dorset schools are winners in league tables Dorset Echo 13 January 2010 Dorset schools hits back over league tables change Western Daily Press 13 January 2011 Baker Hannah 15 July 2020 75 year old school closes after collapsing into administration Business Live Retrieved 16 July 2020 Important site will remain a community asset Dorset Council 15 January 2021 Retrieved 20 January 2021 External links editOfficial website Profile on MyDaughter Profile on the ISC website ISI Inspection Reports Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title St Mary 27s School Shaftesbury amp oldid 1204772884, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
