The History of Our Lady’s School

The Building

The architect of the original Our Lady’s School was a man named Joseph Hansom. He is best remembered for designing  a cab which bore his name. 

One of his designs won a competition to design Birmingham Town Hall and following this he was asked to design many churches, convents and schools including our Parish Church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph. 

Before designing th echuch, Joseph designed Our Lady’s School in Prescot. It was one of his earliest works and it was known then as ‘Yew Tree School’ that is why we have a yew tree on our school badge today. If you look at the row of houses opposite the school you can see a stone inscription ‘Ywe Tree Place 1837. 

Before the Parish Church opened, the school was used for Sunday Mass. Two huts for Infant children were added to the school paid for by the parishioners of Prescot. Then four classrooms, for senior boys, was built on Scotchbarn Lane, on the land which became the former home of St. Edmund Arrowsmith School. 

The present school Hall, staffroom and toilets were built in 1967. In 1979, as we had the oldest classrooms in the Knowsley Borough, Knowsley Metropolitan Education Authority offered to provide new rooms including a Nursery Class and kitchens.  

In the 1990’s under the direction of the Headteacher, Mrs Dorothy Martin, the school was extended from 5 classrooms to the current 8 classrooms. The Nursery was extended and Years 2, 5 and 6 classrooms were built. The kitchen was extended at this time which enabled the kitchen staff to cook meals here, before that meals where transported over from Maryville School. The outdoor area between the Junior and Infant sides of the school were covered over to create a ‘Middle Area’ which the children could use. In later years, this was extended to build the ‘Monsignor Dennick’ area outside Y2’s classroom.