St Mary’s is a large, very popular three form of entry school with a 50 place nursery. We are situated on a pleasant site right in the heart of Slough; five minutes from the High Street and close to a number of the town’s parks. The school is Church of England ‘voluntary controlled’ and was founded in 1863 to offer a good education to the children of the parish. Today, we are a highly multi-cultural and multi-faith school – which is a large part of what makes St Mary’s so unique and friendly.

Our own school’s history began on 16 July 1863, when a parcel of freehold land was sold to the Minister (Reverend ET Champnes) and Churchwardens of the parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey and their successors for £100.

The land was part of a field called the Reindere Hencroft Field, which was part of the farm and lands called “Hencroft” which belonged to the Lord of Upton Manor, behind St Laurence Church.

On the plot a school was to be erected “for the education of children and adults or children only of the labouring, manufacturing or other poorer classes of the parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey."

The sale deed went on to say that “the schools shall always be in union with and conducted according to the principles and in furtherance of the ends and design of the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the principles of the established church throughout England and Wales”. Slough Girls’ Schoolroom was opened on the site on 9 November 1864 and there were further additions to the building in 1869, 1878 and 1885.

The sale deed went on to say that “the schools shall always be in union with and conducted according to the principles and in furtherance of the ends and design of the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the principles of the established church throughout England and Wales”. Slough Girls’ Schoolroom was opened on the site on 9 November 1864 and there were further additions to the building in 1869, 1878 and 1885.

A further site was acquired on 22 December 1868 and a Slough Boys’ Schoolroom and Masters’ House was opened on 5 April 1869. Thus things remained for about 75 years.

The needs of a rapidly growing Slough brought about more change. A new site for the school was provided by the Local Education Authority in January 1969 at a cost of £84,000. The present buildings were begun with the erection of the Key Stage 1 unit and office accommodation and further additions followed as seen today.

Both the old schools were pulled down. The Girls’ School to be replaced by British Home Stores and the Boys’ School making way for the housing complex of Osborne Mews.

Research by Barbara Bignell