St Mary's Independent School, Southampton: Difference between revisions

St Mary's Independent School, Southampton
St Mary's College blazer badge[1]
Address
57 Midanbury Lane Bitterne Park Southampton , Hampshire , SO18 4DJ England
Coordinates	50°55′11″N 1°22′05″W / 50.9197°N 1.3681°W / 50.9197; -1.3681
Information
Type	Independent day
Motto	Semper Paratus (Always Prepared)
Established	1922
Local authority	Southampton
Department for Education URN	116567 Tables
Executive Head	Mrs Charlemagne[2]
Gender	Co-educational
Age	3 to 16
Enrolment	283
Colour(s)	Original : Dark brown, gold     2017 : Dark blue, gold
Former pupils	Old Simmarians
Website	http://www.stmarysindependentschool.co.uk

St Mary's Independent School, formerly named St Mary's College, is an independent day school for boys and girls in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

The school is located on the site of a former a country house called Bitterne Grove, built c1790 by Richard Leversuch. In 1910 it was bought by the French order of the Brothers of Christian Instruction 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 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, approximately 25% of the pupils are now girls. The schools mission is to 'seek to foster the growth of the whole person within a Mennaisian community'. Former pupils are known as Old Simmarians.^[3]

From 1925 to 1964 the school was significantly sustained by the presence of Rev Brother Maurice. ^[4] Before WWI he had been sent as a teacher amongst the Blackfoot Indians in Montana and Eskimos on the Yukon River. During the war he served with great distinction in the French Medical Corps. He was twice wounded and also mentioned three times in despatches for gallantry. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm and two stars, as well as the Médaille Militaire and, for his bravery on the battlefield on Verdun 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 (1951-60).

The school underwent a name change in 2017, changing its name from St Mary's College to St Mary's Independent school. This name now applies to their junior department (previously Charlton House School) as well as their Nursery (previously Charlton Nursery)

In 2013 Ofsted judged the school as 'Good'.^[5] In 2018 another inspection judged it to 'Require Improvement'.^[6] In 2019 it was reinspected and judged 'Inadequate'.^[7]

In 2020 the school went into administration following financial difficulties which had been "significantly impacted" due to the coronavirus pandemic.^[8]

This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (June 2020)

• Ian Baird, former professional football player and manager^{[citation needed]}
• Nathan Bostock, Chief Executive Officer, Santander UK^{[citation needed]}
• Roy "The Boy" Brindley, poker player, TV commentator, author
• John Burton-Race – Michelin-starred celebrity chef^{[citation needed]}
• Robert Chote, Chairman of the Office of Budget Responsibility
• Richard Deverell, Director of Kew Gardens^{[citation needed]}
• Prof. Anthony R. Dickinson, Professor of Neuropharmacology, UCL
• Mark Eitzel, Musician and composer^{[citation needed]}
• Kevin (Danny) Finn, lead singer with The New Seekers and the group Prima Donna which represented the UK in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest
• Patrick Garland, writer, actor, theatre and film director
• Philip Hoare, writer, TV programme maker, journalist, Professor of Creative Writing at Southampton University.
• Nick Holmes, former Southampton footballer, FA Cup winning team
• Richard May, a speedway rider who rode for Reading Racers and Poole Pirates between 1969 and 1977
• Andrew Surman, former Southampton and current Norwich City footballer
• John Sydenham, former Southampton footballer
• Sir Gerry Whent, CEO of Vodafone^[9]
• Prof. Roger Williams (hepatologist), CBE, Specialist at King’s College Hospital in the treatment of pathological conditions of the liver and Director of the Institute of Hepatology^{[citation needed]}

• History of Bitterne Grove, with photos
• School Website - with archive images
• St Mary's College at Good Schools Guide