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St Mary’s pupils set to return to the ‘Marie Celeste’ school to say farewell

In March 2020, the 215 girls at St Mary’s near Shaftesbury had their time there cut short when coronavirus shut the school. And they were never able to return.

Three months later, the school went bust and was subsequently sold to Dorset Council. It was an abrupt end to an idyllic schooling for the girls, aged from nine to 18, taught at one of the best independent Catholic girls’ schools in the country.

But The New Blackmore Vale can reveal they will have a chance to say goodbye – the council is planning a Farewell to St Mary’s event this summer. Pupils, parents and staff will be invited back to the school, which has sat empty for 15 months and still has stark reminders of how quickly it was abandoned. The event will probably be staged in a marquee in the 58 acres of grounds in July, ahead of work to convert the complex into a school for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

I recently toured the school by invitation of Dorset Council, accompanied by Andrew Parry, head of the council’s children’ services. “The first time I walked into the school I saw a plate of chips still on the canteen counter,” he said. “There were books still open on the desks. It was like walking into the Marie Celeste.

Two school staff retained by the council have cleared notice boards and done a lot of cleaning, tidying up and ongoing maintenance. Contractors continue testing of emergency and lighting services.

Old exam papers and other paperwork has been burned. But the residual debris of 75 years of school achievements were still starkly evident.

In the extant arts and textiles room, dress designs rest on mannequins. There are half-finished felt hats, brushes still with paint on, cups in the sink. A Post-It note reads: “To be returned to Mrs Hodge (textiles) from Laura Williamson. Thank you.”

Names are still on lockers and tens of thousands of books still on shelves. There are 30 copies of Esther Hautzig’s The Endless Steppe in one classroom and skips of Latin text books. In the pottery kiln, there are unfinished pieces some pupils may want to reclaim in July.

There may well be an auction of books and other equipment not required in the new SEND environment.
The details are being worked on. Says Cllr Parry: “There is a sense of calm and peace in the school.

There is an opportunity to create something from the established footprint, at pace.

“That sense of wellbeing and enjoyment of the environment very much resonates with me.”

He said every effort will be made in July to return personal possessions to pupils, half of which were boarders or day pupils.

“They just went home in lockdown and didn’t come back. I am very mindful of being respectful to them.” The school had been running at a loss for six years. It was, said Cllr Parry, “asset rich but cash poor – one of the reasons it shut down.”

A sale fell through last summer, and though a ‘Save St Mary’s’ steering committee raised £370k, the school needed 130 girls for the autumn term simply to be viable. By then, most parents had withdrawn support and placed their children elsewhere.
But its importance to the girls and 120 staff was real. Catherine Ridge, a member of the Save St Mary’s committee, said last summer that St Mary’s “recognised each child as an individual and enabled them to thrive”.

She added: “The closure of St Mary’s was not only devastating for the pupils and teachers but also for the wider Shaftesbury community who were employed or provided services there. To suddenly lose your livelihood without any notice and particularly in the current climate is devastating and my heart goes out to everyone affected.”

Dorset Council has appointed Mark Blackman as the school’s Chief Operating Officer.
He was previously Head of Shaftesbury School for seven years until 2019. Recruitment for a head is under way, and the plan is to bring in the first 60 SEND children in January, with plans to build up to a 280 intake. Some £5m has been put aside to adapt the school to requirements.

The school will also eventually be renamed, reflecting the council’s aim to establish it as a centre of research and study excellence as well as a school.

While officially no decision has been made, a title such as The Shaftesbury School of SEND Excellence can be expected.

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