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For close on twelve years the Catholic Schools connected with the Church of the Sacred Heart, Bournemouth, have been taught by the Sisters of Mercy, of St. Joseph's Convalescent Home, Branksome Wood Road.
But to start from the beginning.

Up to the year 1877, the very few children who lived sufficiently clear to the "Oratory" seem to have received their schooling in one of the now demolished "Windsor Cottages" at the hands of ladies of the Congregation who kindly volunteered for this meritorious work.

Later on in 1877 - the Committee of St. Joseph's home for Invalids, situated in Lansdowne Road - to which Institution further reference will presently be made - kindly lent a spare backroom for school purposes.

In the summer of the following year, the school-mistress then employed failed to return after the Whitsuntide holidays, and Father J. Wynne, S.J., was rescued from the predicament in which he thus found himself by Miss Bentley and a lady friend of hers, who divided the labour of teaching between them.

Towards the close of the year 1878, or early in 1879, the home, being no longer able to accommodate the children, the schools were transferred to a house in Avenue Road as a boarding house - the cost of rental being partially recouped by the letting of the first floor.

By January 1880, with the help of a generous benefactor, the schools had been removed permanently to their present location in Yelverton Road, a spot singled out for the purpose by Lady Georgians Fullerton.

It was at this epoch that Father Henry Birch, S. J. (Superior), took the first step towards providing the Mission with a more thoroughly organized school-system by inviting the Religions 'Ladies of the Holy Cross " (Dames de la Croix) - who had come from France to Bournemouth in 1871 - to undertake the education of the children of our poor.

This they continued to do for some years. In August, 1887, however, the Dames de la Croix, by the wish of their superiors, migrated to Boscombe, where they are now conducting a flourishing Boarding School for Young Ladies, as well as managing an efficient Elementary School, under Government in connection with Corpus Christi Church.

Their stately Convent, with its beautiful grounds, situated in Parkwood Road, will be familiar to many residents and visitors. On their retirement to Boscombe, a band of Sisters of Mercy came from the Hospital of St. John, Gt. Ormond Street, London, August 27th, 1887, and gradually transformed the former " Convent of the Cross" in Branksome Wood Road into "St. Joseph's Convalescent Home".

This excellent work of clarity towards the sick and afflicted of all creeds was taken up by the Sisters with the approval of His Lordship, the (late) Bishop of Portsmouth, and at the special invitation of A. J. Fullerton, Esq., who desired thus to revive, upon a lasting, basis, a similar Charitable Home formerly maintained by his wife lady Georgians Fullerton - of holy memory - and her friends, in Lansdowne Road, but which was threatened with extinction owing to Lady Georgina's death, January 19th, 1885.

Though living at such a distance from Yelverton Road, the Boscombe Religious still continued to teach our children for the space of two years - that is, till August 1889, when Father Henry Schomberg Kerr, S.J. (Sup), requested the Sisters of Mercy, established so near at hand, to take over the charge of St. Walburga's Schools.

The success with which the zealous and laborious efforts of these Sisters have been blessed, and the prosperity enjoyed by the Schools under their skilful guidance may be gathered from the following few facts and figures.

Although after the School building in Yelverton Road had been entirely remodeled by Father Cooney, and accepted by the Education Department in March 1891, the schools voluntarily submitted themselves to examination some seven months earlier than was compulsory, the first Government Report, December 28th, 1891, was on the whole satisfactory and full of encouragement.

From that time to this there has not been a single discreditable Report, while at the last Report made the highest attainable grants were awarded to the Mixed School.
On that occasion the Inspector wrote:-

"Mixed School. This is an admirably organised School. The tone and behaviour of the children are particularly pleasing.

Infants Class. The Infants are diligently taught, and they make good progress on the whole, the discipline is good."

With regard to actual average: Attendance, we find, in the Report for 1894, the following figures: Mixed School, 56.6, and Infant Class - 25.2. - there being at the time 88 children entered on the School Registers.

In the Report, however, for 1900, the average attendance is figured, respectively, at 72.2, and 30.1 - the number of children on the Register being then 130. It should be noticed too, that this increase of scholars has been realized notwithstanding the great development taken by the Corpus Christi Mission, Boscombe.

These details bear witness to the educational progress of our Schools. But looking at the matter from a financial point of view - it must be borne in mind that such favourable results have not been achieved, and certainly cannot be maintained, without corresponding pecuniary sacrifice.

In point of fact, in spite of the ordinary annual grant and fee grants, and the removal of the "176 limit," in spite, too, of the "special aid grant" and the generosity of benefactors, there is still accumulating year by year - a considerable pecuniary deficit.

The strain, too, of this deficit upon the management has of late become the greater on account of the heavy demands unavoidably made upon Mission resources by the rebuilding of our Church of Sacred Heart.

Not, therefore, without ample reason it decided to hold, during Easter Week, a "Grand Bazaar," at the Catholic Institute, Richmond Hill, in aid of the Schools and by this means to solicit the hearty and liberal support of all friends of the Voluntary Schools.

March 25th 1901