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19 September 2018
In 1933 a group of Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary from Ghent came to Letchworth Garden City to open St. Francis’ College. They would be delighted to know that the College continues to thrive and is celebrating its 85th Anniversary this month.
The College opened its doors in September 1933. The kindergarten and preparatory department opened on September 4th and the residential and senior school on September 20th. The College opened with 29 pupils, but numbers soon increased to 200 by the end of the 1930s. Plans were quickly drawn up to build a new building for the College overlooking the Broadway and in 1939 the large Broadway building was opened just as the Second World War began.
Over the last 85 years there have been many changes at the College. There have been physical improvements and additions to the building and teaching in the 21st century bears no resemblance to what took place in the early days, but the College continues to offer a wide range of extra- curricular activities as well as encouraging girls to do their best in their academic studies just as they did in the 1930s.
The Sisters continued to run the College until 1983 when they decided they wished to focus their attention on other areas of work, and the management of the College was handed over to St. Francis’ College Trust. The College became and still is a multi-denominational Christian community that welcomes pupils of all or no faith.
In 2018 St. Francis’ College can be proud of its achievements over the last 85 years. It is a happy, successful school where pupils thrive in an environment that recognises the unique qualities of each individual. Â
