St Marys School
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St Mary’s C of E (Aided) Primary School has its own Website History In 1825, the Charity Commissioners indicated that the ‘schoolmaster at Davyhulme, for teaching 23 scholars, was to receive £23 per annum’. By 1866, thirty boys and ten girls aged four to twelve years, were taught reading, writing and arithmetic at a charge of 6d (2½p) a week. By 1878, Latin and Greek were taught and an assistant master appointed, but the school fabric was in disrepair and the Master, Paul Owen, was aged 73. Robert Norreys and his sisters Mary & Isabella in the 1870’s saw the advent of the railway coupled with initiatives to promote the Manchester Ship Canal (eventually dug in 1894 and now forming the northern boundary of the parish). They real;ised that the increasing population would require a modern free school for around a hundred pupils. Religion needed to be taught and services provided by a priest of the established Church of England. A Sunday School was required for both children and adults who could be taught to read and write. A venue was required for the Victorian virtues of socials, bazaars and the plethora of ‘improving’ pastimes such as Mothers’ Unions, Men’s Bible Class, Dramatics etc. Above all, the Norreys ‘trio’ wished to implant a sense of identity and community in Davyhulme – directed by the family at the Hall. They were not to know that in the future their nephew and heir J.B. Norreys-Entwistle would demolish the Hall, move away and gradually sell off the Estates. In 1880, it was decided to demolish the old school and the Squire and his sisters donated a new site in Cornhill Rd. along with £550 towards the construction cost of £1,300 and also £3,000 for its maintenance and the ‘village social hall’ opposite. The Charity Commissioners allowed the old building to be sold for £290 which was used towards the new St. Mary’s National School. The foundation stone was laid on 26th June 1880. The foundation stone of the old school built in 1789 is incorporated within the present. The school opened on March 28th 1881 with fifty-six pupils with Certified Mistress, Margaret Seckerson. The school was extended in 1906 by a small classroom and cloakroom when there were 128 pupils and two assistant teachers. The junior wing was added as a jubilee event in 1930 at a cost of £2,500. In 1971 a fire destroyed the original portion of the school and the present hall and infant block was built at a cost of £45,000. Since this time the school has benefited from several building projects so that today the building comprises of: seven well maintained and bright classrooms, an ‘outdoor classroom’ for Early Years, a hall, a main computer suite and two ‘mini’ suites, two library areas, an art/DT area, a welcome porch, a kitchen, a school office, Headteacher’s office and staffroom. Head Teachers of St Mary’s School 1881 - 1891: Miss Margaret Seckerson 1891 - 1894: Miss Emily Shaw 1894 - 1898: Miss A Griffiths 1899 - 1901: Miss Elizabeth Millington 1901 - 1912: Miss Betsy Short 1912 - 1928: Miss Edith Flint 1928 - 1958: Mr H.J.O. Croft 1958 - 1964 Mr Perry and Mr Brooks (dates to be confirmed) - 1980: Mr O. Cottis (dates to be confirmed) 1980 - 1989 Mr J.E. Jones-Davies 1990 - 1996: Mr J Howard 1997 - 2001: Mrs Carol Royle 2001 - 2013: Mrs Beverley Davies 2013 - 2015: Mrs Anita Fagan 2015 to date: Mrs Alison Daniel |
