50 joyous years as a Catholic school, at the heart of Heston community, was marked by Cardinal Vincent who celebrated Mass with the school and parish on Tuesday 18 October.
The Cardinal touched the hearts of all those who attended the Mass as he spoke of Our Lady’s aspiration to be all that God asked of her. He also reminded us that Our Lady offers us a pathway to Christ so that we can become united with him.
Nicola McDermott, Chair of Governors said: ‘The establishment of the Rosary school owes much to the vision of Fr Moore, who later became Canon Moore. Fr Moore was appointed to the parish in 1960. After achieving his first goal of building a Catholic church on the site of the old convent in 1964 he was then determined to have a Catholic school built to serve the local community. The school was built despite opposition from the then Heston and Isleworth council.
‘After difficult negotiations, permission was granted and building began in 1965 with the school being opened in September 1966.’
Head Teacher Tressa Paczek said: ‘Since the beginning the school has gone through various transformations, however one thing has remained steadfast in the school’s history, and that is the original vision to teach children to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.’
The school was named the Rosary because permission was formally given to open a Catholic school on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. It was a one form entry Infant and Junior school to begin with, but the roll increased to the extent that permission for a second building was granted. In 1972 a two form entry Infant School was opened and the original building became a two form Junior School.
In September 2007 the school was successfully amalgamated under one Head Teacher and returned back to Fr Moore’s original vision of one Catholic school to serve the Catholic families of the community.
