St Dominic's Priory School, Stone

St Dominic's Priory School is an independent Catholic day school in the town of Stone, Staffordshire, halfway between Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford. The school buildings are set near to the grounds of St Dominic's Convent.

St Dominic's Priory School
Address
21 Station Road

Stone
,
Staffordshire
,
ST15 8EN

England
Coordinates52°54′38″N 2°08′27″W
Information
TypeIndependent day school
MottoLaudare, Benedicere, Praedicare
("To Praise, To bless, To preach")
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1843
FounderMargaret Hallahan
Local authorityStaffordshire
Department for Education URN124476 Tables
HeadteacherMrs R. Harrison
Staff45
Genderprev.Girls
Coeducational up to age 16
AgePre-school to 16
Enrolmentc. 200
HousesHallahan
Ullathorne
Colour(s)Blue
Websitehttp://www.stdominicspriory.co.uk/

The school was founded by the Dominican Sisters and still maintains a close affiliation with the resident community and with St Mary's Nursing Home[1] and the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception and St Dominic,[2] the centre of an active Catholic community with a resident priest and deacon. It is joined onto this Convent founded by Margaret Hallahan.

History and Ethos

Within the grounds stands the small chapel of St Anne designed by Pugin. This school chapel was the centre of the Catholic mission started by Blessed Dominic Barberi in 1843 and continues to be a place of pilgrimage. Both the parish church and the chapel are used by the school for Mass and other services. The buildings have Grade II listed status and house various and important stained glass, statues and gargoyles, as assigned in Public sculpture of Staffordshire and the Black Country (G. Noszlopy, F. Waterhouse, 242).[3]

According to the school history, it was founded after a young girl, the niece of one of the sisters, refused to leave the convent, and holding onto the railings, and she was then educated there. The school was opened in 1934, although the Dominican Sisters have long been educating children on the convent grounds. In 2011 the sisters announced that the congregation could no longer financially support the school and would have to close it. Parents mobilised to form a charitable trust with the support of the Sisters, school staff, alumni and the local community. As a result the school was able to remain open under the management of the new trust.[4]

The school is now coeducational and accommodates pupils from Pre-school to the age of 16. The school is non-selective, accepting children of all abilities and all faiths. The school was ranked 2nd best in Staffordshire for Maths and English GCSE results in 2019 and was defined as excellent in their last ISI Inspection which is equivalent to outstanding in Ofsted. ISI made the following comments – 'Students are industrious and work effectively both independently and with others.' 'The quality of academic and other achievements is excellent.' 'Students are mature for their age and confident in approaching different subjects. They display strong communication skills, speaking articulately and enthusiastically.'[5] . The school's motto is "Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare" : "To Praise, to Bless, to Preach",

The Arts and Enrichment at St Dominic's Priory

St Dominic's Priory School has a high reputation for achievement in the Arts and in the variety of its enrichment programmes such as Duke of Edinburgh, Public Speaking. Students have many opportunities and take part in theatrical life locally and further afield.[6] Indeed, many of its alumni have moved on to life in business, film and theatre.

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gollark: Presumably because making complex and bureaucracy-driven institutions actually work sanely is an unsolved problem.
gollark: Lack of coherent response interpreted as communism.

References
  2. "Find a Church". www.findachurch.co.uk.
  3. Noszlopy, George Thomas; Waterhouse, Fiona (30 January 2005). "Public Sculpture of Staffordshire and the Black Country". Liverpool University Press – via Google Books.
  4. "St Dominic's Priory school saved by parents' group". BBC News. 18 February 2011.
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