Below is some information on St. Leonard's Mayfield School.
In 1863, on the 26th of May, Mother Cornelia Connelly who found the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) in 1846 would take a group of girls to picnic from the Holy Child school to St. Leonard's-on-Sea to the ruins of the Old Palace of Mayfield. The peacefulness of the countryside and ruins left their mark on Cornelia. Within in weeks the Duchess of Leads purchased the estate and presented it to the religious order. On the 18th of November, 1863 the first mass was said there since the mid-16th Century. They would subsequently being renovations in 1864 on the Old Palace and the ruins of the 14th century hall would be transformed into a church, this only took 14 months. The school started by teaching orphans and it was not until 1872 when the first group of girls was brought over from St. Leonard's to start their academics. It was not until 1953, when St. Leonard's-on-Sea and Mayfield school merged to be St. Leonard's Mayfield. Students remained at St Leonard's up to the age of 13 and then transferred to Mayfield to continue their education to 18. In 1975 the junior school at St Leonard's closed and Mayfield became the school it is today, educating girls from 11 to 18. The links with Holy Child, however, remain strong: three members of the Governing body are nuns and three nuns live in the school grounds, supporting the pastoral work of the Chaplaincy and boarding houses.
In 1863, on the 26th of May, Mother Cornelia Connelly who found the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) in 1846 would take a group of girls to picnic from the Holy Child school to St. Leonard's-on-Sea to the ruins of the Old Palace of Mayfield. The peacefulness of the countryside and ruins left their mark on Cornelia. Within in weeks the Duchess of Leads purchased the estate and presented it to the religious order. On the 18th of November, 1863 the first mass was said there since the mid-16th Century. They would subsequently being renovations in 1864 on the Old Palace and the ruins of the 14th century hall would be transformed into a church, this only took 14 months. The school started by teaching orphans and it was not until 1872 when the first group of girls was brought over from St. Leonard's to start their academics. It was not until 1953, when St. Leonard's-on-Sea and Mayfield school merged to be St. Leonard's Mayfield. Students remained at St Leonard's up to the age of 13 and then transferred to Mayfield to continue their education to 18. In 1975 the junior school at St Leonard's closed and Mayfield became the school it is today, educating girls from 11 to 18. The links with Holy Child, however, remain strong: three members of the Governing body are nuns and three nuns live in the school grounds, supporting the pastoral work of the Chaplaincy and boarding houses.There are currently in the region of 425 pupils on roll, organised into Lower School (Years 7 and 8), Middle School (Years 9, 10 and 11) and Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13). The majority of pupils come from homes within a 50km radius of Mayfield, but a number come from further afield, and not only from within Britain: the school has a vibrant international community with girls drawn from Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Nigeria and elsewhere.
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