D'Hautree School

From Jerripedia

The new school opens in 1961

From the Jersey Archive

The school was founded in 1952 as St Helier Boys School and was built in order to amalgamate some of the senior departments of elementary schools in St Helier and some of the rural schools. Initially junior boys were housed in the New Street Buildings, whilst the seniors were housed in the La Motte Street Building. However in 1958 a 10 vergee site was acquired by the States at D'Hautree on St Saviour's Hill, this included a house built in the 1900s.

1961 opening

By 1961 the main teaching block known as the Lawn Block was built and on Monday 16 January 1961, 530 boys aged between 11 and 16 walked up St Saviour's Hill into the new school. The school had been built by C W Construction at a cost of £140,000, and by 1962 a further building had been added called the Technical Block.

On 15 November 1962 the school was officially opened by the Bailiff of Jersey, Sir Robert Le Masurier, in the presence of the Lieut-Governor, General Sir George Erskine. By 1971 a further two new teaching blocks were added, called the Court Block and a separate Music Centre.

In September 1979 the St Helier Boys School became officially known as D'Hautree School, and by 1981 it had become a co-educational school admitting a first year of girls and boys in September. The school offered a wide range of subjects which included English, Sciences, Languages, and Maths, as well as a high standard of Physical Education.

Among its many facilities it also had a library and resources area and musically the school was well known for its band, particularly the drum corps which took part in a number of Battle of Flowers festivals. The students also took part in a wide range of other social activities like producing their own school magazine called a variety of names like The Torch and Skool Stuff.

D'Hautree finally closed its doors in July 1998 and pupils and staff moved to Haute Vallée School at Mont L'Abbé in September 1998.