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St Mary’s to become a special school

blackmorevaleJanuary 23, 20210 Comment0

St Mary’s School near Shaftesbury is to remain in use as a teaching establishment, serving Dorset children with special educational needs. 

The Catholic girls’ school has been sold for £10.05m to Dorset Council, six months after it went into administration after sustained losses. A steering group appointed by the council will examine various uses for the whole of St Mary’s buildings and 55 acres and welcomes input from the community and local interests.

But council leader Spencer Flower made it clear that schooling is one subject that St Mary’s would be ideal for. “We have got issues in Dorset where we need to deal with the provision of schooling for special needs children, and this is a great opportunity,” he told Shaftesbury radio station This is Alfred.

“The demand for looking after young people has grown in the last few years. I want to bring kids back into Dorset – a lot of families have to travel some way to visit.”

“We are very ambitious for the site. St Mary’s School comprises 165,000 sq ft of accommodation within grounds of 55 acres. It is suitable for a broad range of service and community uses, which could also include provision for Dorset care leavers, adults with disabilities, as well as a possible site for businesses to boost our local economy and more besides.”

Dorset councillor Belinda Ridout, who represents the Gillingham ward, added: “We want to have Dorset children stay local rather than be sent to schools all over the country.”

Stuart Jones of Savills, who led the sale on behalf of the administrators, said: “2020 was a challenging year for the private school sector and a number came to the market having been unable to continue trading. “St Mary’s Shaftesbury is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious schools to become available in this way, and we are pleased it will become a community asset.”