St Mary's School was an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
day and boarding school for girls, founded in 1945 in a rural setting near
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...
, England. The school had a
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
and was a member of the
Girls' Schools Association
The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a professional association of the heads of independent girls' schools. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council.
History
The GSA can trace its history back to the Association of Headm ...
. After operating at a loss for some time, the school closed in July 2020.
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
St Mary's was founded in 1945 by the nuns of the
Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose members are commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women dedicated to education founded in Saint-Omer by an Englishwoman, Mary Ward, in 1609. The cong ...
(also known as the Sisters of Loreto) whose principles are based on the life and works of
Mary Ward Mary Ward may refer to:
Scientists and academics
* Mary Ward (nurse) (1884–1972) English nurse to the boat people on the waterways
* Mary Ward (scientist) (née King, 1827–1869) Irish amateur scientist, was killed by an experimental steam car ...
. Hence it had the same motto as its sister schools in
Ascot and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
.
The school became a registered charity 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.
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.
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.
Boarding
Over half of the school's pupils were boarders, all of them full-time and organised by year groups into five boarding houses.
* 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. It was one of the few schools in the county which did not suffer from the new
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
grading system using the
English Baccalaureate
The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...
introduced in 2010, as candidates achieved a 100% pass rate.
Closure
After operating at a loss for some years, the school entered
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
in mid-July 2020 and was immediately closed. The school's governors wrote that the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
had "wiped away" recent financial progress.
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".
Notable former pupils
*
Laura Lopes
Laura Rose Lopes (' Parker Bowles; born 1 January 1978) is an English art curator. She is the daughter of Queen Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles, and the stepdaughter of King Charles III.
Biography Early life
Laura Parker Bowles was born on 1 J ...
*
Lady Flora McDonnell
*
Clare Smales
*
Anna Chancellor
Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is a British actress who has received nominations for BAFTA and Olivier Awards.
Background and early life
Chancellor was born in Richmond, England to barrister John Paget Chancellor, eldest son of ...
*
Martha Fiennes
Martha Maria Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes () is an English film director, writer and producer. Fiennes is best known for her film '' Onegin'' (1999), which starred her elder brother, Ralph, and her subsequent film ''Chromophobia'' (2005).
Career
...
*
Sophie Kinsella
Madeleine Sophie Wickham, known by her pen name Sophie Kinsella, is an English author. The first two novels in her best-selling Shopaholic series, ''The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic'' and ''Shopaholic Abroad'', were adapted into the film ...
*
Sarah Bradford
Sarah Mary Malet Bradford (''née'' Hayes; born 3 September 1938) is an English author who is best known for her royal biographies.
Early life and education
Bradford was born in Bournemouth in 1938, the daughter of Brigadier Hilary Anthony Haye ...
References
External links
*
Profileon
MyDaughter
MyDaughter was a British website set up by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) offering advice to parents of daughters on all aspects of raising and educating girls. Advice was provided by headteachers from the member schools of the Girls' Scho ...
Profileon the
ISC #REDIRECT ISC
{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
website
*
ISI Inspectio
Reports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's School, Shaftesbury
Defunct schools in Wiltshire
Girls' schools in Wiltshire
Educational institutions established in 1946
1946 establishments in England
Defunct Catholic schools in the Diocese of Plymouth
Catholic boarding schools in England
Boarding schools in Wiltshire
Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association
Sisters of Loreto schools
Shaftesbury