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St Mary's Independent School, formerly named St Mary's College, 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 Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
day school for boys and girls in
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
,
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,
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.


History

The school was on the site of a former country house called Bitterne Grove, built c1790 by Richard Leversuch. In 1910 the house was bought by the French order of the ''
Brothers of Christian Instruction The Brothers of Christian Instruction (, F.I.C.P.''Ann. Pont. 2007'', p. 1499.), commonly known as the La Mennais Brothers, is a Catholic educational organization founded in 1819 by Gabriel Deshayes and Jean-Marie de la Mennais for the instruct ...
'' and renamed as St Mary's House. Initially it was a centre for students who were exiled from France due to anti-clerical laws passed there in 1903 and training for the Brotherhood, until the centre was relocated to Highlands College, Jersey, in the Channel Islands. In 1922 it became the first secondary school specifically for Catholic boys in Southampton, under the name of St Mary's College, and opened with five Brothers and 30 pupils. During the Second World War rapid expansion of the school took place; the number of pupils passing from 200 at the start of the War to 400 at the end. In 1992 the junior department started taking girls and in 2000 the senior department was opened to girls, and latterly approximately 25% of the pupils were girls. Former pupils are known as Old Simmarians. From 1925 to 1964 Rev Brother Maurice worked at the school. Before WWI he had been sent as a teacher amongst the
Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'', or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bl ...
Indians in Montana and Eskimos on the
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. During the war he served with great distinction in the French Medical Corps. He was twice wounded and also mentioned three times in dispatches for gallantry. He was awarded the ''
Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...
'' with palm and two stars, as well as the ''
Médaille Militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
'' and, for his bravery on the battlefield of
Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...
in 1916, the '' Legion of Honour Military Medal''. He was twice headmaster of St Mary's (1928–31 and 1937–43) and later head of its prep-school, Charlton. In 2013
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...
judged the school as 'Good'. In 2018 another inspection judged it to 'Requires Improvement'. In 2019 it was reinspected and judged 'Inadequate'. In 2020 the school went into administration following financial difficulties which had been "significantly impacted" due to the coronavirus pandemic. One-third of the former site was acquired by private investors and re-opened in Sept 2021 as Yarrow Heights, a school for children aged 7–16 with social, emotional and mental health needs. In September 2020, the primary school element was reopened on the retained two-thirds of the land, using its former name of Charlton House (Independent School) and following successive Ofsted and ISI inspections (the most recent in December 2024) it received a positive report, meeting all of the Independent School Standards.


Notable former pupils

* Roy Brindley, poker player, TV commentator, author * Robert Chote, Chairman of the
Office of Budget Responsibility An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
* Richard George Deverell, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and former Controller of CBBC * Prof. Anthony R. Dickinson, Professor of Neuropharmacology, UCL *
Patrick Garland Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor. Career Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Is ...
, writer, actor, theatre and film director *
Philip Hoare Philip Hoare (Southampton, 1958) is a British writer, film-maker and curator. He won the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize, now known as the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, for his work ''Leviathan, or the Whale''. Early life and education Ho ...
, writer, TV programme maker, journalist, Professor of Creative Writing at Southampton University *
Nick Holmes Nicholas John Arthur Holmes (born 7 January 1971) is an English singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic metal/doom metal band Paradise Lost and Swedish death metal supergroup Bloodbath. Biography Holmes formed Paradise Lost in l ...
, former
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
footballer, FA Cup winning team * Richard May, a speedway rider who rode for Reading Racers and
Poole Pirates Poole Pirates (also known as Poole Speedway) are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the SGB Championship. The club have been the champions of the United Kingdom on ten occasions. Poole Speedway is promoted by l ...
between 1969 and 1977 * Andrew Surman, former Southampton and current
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
footballer *
John Sydenham John Sydenham (born 15 September 1939) is an English former footballer who played as a striker, spending most of his career with Southampton. Early career Born in Southampton, John was educated at St. Mary's College, Southampton and, at 13, ...
, former
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
footballer * Sir Gerry Whent, CEO of
Vodafone Vodafone Group Public Limited Company () is a British Multinational company, multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates Service (economic ...


External links


History of Bitterne Grove, with photos

School Website - with archive imagesSt Mary's College at Good Schools Guide


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Independent School, Southampton Defunct schools in Southampton Educational institutions established in 1922 Educational institutions disestablished in 2020 1922 establishments in England 2020 disestablishments in England