St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School
Encyclopedia
St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary is a Catholic
school in Warwick
, England
for children aged 4-11. It has an on-site pre-school for children aged 2 years 9 months to 5. It is a feeder school
for Trinity Catholic Technology College
.
It was around this time that the children began to use the swimming baths at St. Nicholas’ Park.
The School’s air raid shelters were built on the grounds of nearby Warwick Castle
which could be accessed through a door in the school wall. There were two; one for infants (5-7) and juniors (8-11) and another for seniors (11-14). Both were equipped with two chemical toilet
s and three hurricane lamps.
Luckily, the shelters were only ever used for practice.
The infant teacher had 63 children in her class and one of Mr. Melton’s first actions as headmaster was to appoint another teacher for that group. By 1967 the school had six classes; 3 in the main building, one in a black and white building up the hill from the school, one in a portable building beside the presbytery and another in a portable building in the playground. Each class had around 35-40 pupils.
In 1969, the local MP raised the problem of overcrowding in parliament. The results led to the building of a new school.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school in Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for children aged 4-11. It has an on-site pre-school for children aged 2 years 9 months to 5. It is a feeder school
Feeder school
Feeder school is a name applied to schools, colleges, universities, or other educational institutions that provide a significant number of graduates who intend to continue their studies at specific schools, or even in specific fields....
for Trinity Catholic Technology College
Trinity Catholic Technology College
Trinity Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.The school has Technology College status awarded in 2000 and Arts College status awarded in 2004 and had been awarded Artsmark Gold award. Following an Ofsted inspection in 2009, the school was...
.
The Beginning
On 8 May 1905 St Mary Immaculate Catholic School, West Street opened its doors for the first time under the headship of Miss Cecilia McDonnell. It was a large room with a partition across the middle.World War II
In 1938 the school was becoming overcrowded. An inspector visited and noticed that children were finding it hard to concentrate, possibly due to the lack of space; 74 occupied a classroom built for 60 children.It was around this time that the children began to use the swimming baths at St. Nicholas’ Park.
St. Nicholas' Park
St. Nicholas' Park, commonly known as "St. Nick's", is a park is situated in the centre of Warwick, England. Bordering the park to the south is the River Avon.- History :...
The School’s air raid shelters were built on the grounds of nearby Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...
which could be accessed through a door in the school wall. There were two; one for infants (5-7) and juniors (8-11) and another for seniors (11-14). Both were equipped with two chemical toilet
Chemical toilet
A chemical toilet is a toilet which uses chemicals to deodorize the waste instead of simply storing it in a hole, or piping it away to a sewage treatment plant. Common types include aircraft lavatory, some passenger train toilets and the portable toilets used on construction sites and at large...
s and three hurricane lamps.
Luckily, the shelters were only ever used for practice.
The 1960s: An overcrowded school
By the time Mr. Tony Melton arrived in 1963, there were 120 pupils. When he left in 1967, the number had swollen to 200. He remembered his time at St. Mary Immaculate as the happiest of his careerThe infant teacher had 63 children in her class and one of Mr. Melton’s first actions as headmaster was to appoint another teacher for that group. By 1967 the school had six classes; 3 in the main building, one in a black and white building up the hill from the school, one in a portable building beside the presbytery and another in a portable building in the playground. Each class had around 35-40 pupils.
In 1969, the local MP raised the problem of overcrowding in parliament. The results led to the building of a new school.
Priory pools
Work began on a new building in Priory pools in 1971. In April 1972 the juniors moved into the new school, with the infants joining them in the February of the following year. The newer, larger grounds allowed for a swimming pool to be built. This was finished in 1974.Easter flood
On Maundy Thursday, 9 April 1998 it began to rain. One month’s rain fell in just twelve hours. All rivers were put on red alert. The following day, the river Leam burst its banks. The school was badly damaged and the pupils attended other schools whilst repairs were carried out.Centenary Celebrations
In 2005, under the headship of Robert Gargan, St Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School celebrated its Centenary. There were Concerts, a Celebration Mass and the publication of the history of the school. A conservation garden was built on the site of the former swimming pool which had fallen into disuse.Further reading
- A Brief History of St Mary Immaculate School (2006) Edited by Helen Wild Includes text from previous history with further contributions.