Heathfield St Mary's
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| Motto | The Merit of One is the Honour of All |
|---|---|
| Established | 1899 |
| Type | Independent boarding school |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Headmistress | Mrs Marina Gardiner Legge |
| Founder | Eleanor Beatrice Wyatt |
| Location |
London Road Ascot Berkshire SL5 8BQ England 51°24′50″N 0°42′35″W / 51.4138°N 0.7098°WCoordinates: 51°24′50″N 0°42′35″W / 51.4138°N 0.7098°W |
| Local authority | Bracknell Forest |
| DfE URN | 110117 Tables |
| Students | 194~ |
| Gender | female |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses |
Austen de Valois Seacole Somerville |
| Former pupils | HOGS & SMOGS |
| Website | www.heathfieldschool.net |
Heathfield School is a girls' independent boarding and day school in Ascot, Berkshire, England. In 2006, the school absorbed St Mary's School, Wantage and was briefly named Heathfield St Mary's School but reverted to Heathfield School in 2009 to try to avoid confusion with the nearby St Mary's School, Ascot. The school's grounds cover 36 acres (15 ha) situated on the edge of Ascot (actually in Bracknell Forest), providing access from London, the major airports, the M3 and M4 motorways.
The school stands in 36 acres of grounds on the outskirts of Ascot and has done so since Heathfield School was founded in 1899 by Eleanor Beatrice Wyatt, its first headmistress. In 1882, at the age of 24, Miss Wyatt and her mother had opened Queen's Gate School in South Kensington, London.
Until this point Miss Wyatt had been concentrating on educating boys and girls from the lower-middle and lower classes; however, she was convinced that the best way to further education for all was to educate those who could in turn educate others. This coincided with Miss Wyatt's desire to move out of a congested and claustrophobic London. The problem she faced was that, whilst wishing to move to a more spacious country location, she still wanted to maintain a proximity to London and the school’s active Old Girl network. In 1899 the solution was found in Ascot, Berkshire, and Heathfield School was founded in a beautiful Italianate building, the original home of the Paravacini family. On 8 May, the school was officially opened and the Chapel blessed.
The Reverend William John Butler became Vicar of Wantage on 1 January 1847. His main aims were, first, to revive the religious life in England and second, to improve education. He hoped to achieve these aims by setting up an order of teaching sisters, but he faced many disappointments and spent 25 years trying to improve various day schools in the parish before St Mary’s School was founded in 1873.
The school was run by the sisters of the Community of St. Mary the Virgin and was based in the Queen Anne house on Newbury Street. Sister Ellen was the first Sister-in-Charge and Sister Juliana succeeded her in 1887. Sister Juliana had studied at Cambridge and set a high standard for the girls, entering them for the Oxford and Cambridge local examinations.
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