St Mary's School, Shaftesbury

St Mary's School was an independent 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 School
Location
Shaftesbury
,
Wiltshire
,
SP7 9LP

England
Coordinates51.006°N 2.165°W / 51.006; -2.165
Information
TypeIndependent day and boarding school
MottoAd Maiorem Dei Gloriam
To the Greater Glory of God
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1945
FounderInstitute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Closed2020
Local authorityDorset
OfstedReports
Chair of governorsMiss V Younghusband[1]
Head teacherMrs Maria Young[1]
GenderGirls
Age9 to 18
Colour(s)Green
PublicationThe Beech Tree
DiocesePlymouth
Websitehttp://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.

History
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 The Ven 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 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

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 excellent pastoral care was commended in the 2007 ISI Inspection.[5]

Boarding

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 achievement

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]

Closure

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]

Notable former pupils

References
  1. "St Mary's School Shaftesbury Trust: Trustee's report and financial statements". Charity Commission. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  2. 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.
  3. Charity Commission. St Mary's School Shaftesbury Trust, registered charity no. 292845.
  4. Faith Life Archived 25 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Gold star for girls' school". Dorset Echo. 13 May 2007.
  6. "Introduction to Boarding". St Mary's Shaftesbury. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  7. "2009 A levels results". Western Daily Press. 28 August 2009.
  8. "Dorset schools are winners in league tables". Dorset Echo. 13 January 2010.
  9. "Dorset schools hits back over league tables change". Western Daily Press. 13 January 2011.
  10. Baker, Hannah (15 July 2020). "75-year-old school closes after collapsing into administration". Business Live. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  11. "Important site will remain a community asset". Dorset Council. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
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