Saint Martin’s was originally established in 1948 by the Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena based in King William’s Town, South Africa as an independent girl’s school, Blessed Martin in the Fields at Stoke Lodge, Stoke Golding. This branch of the Dominican order was originally founded in 1877 by a group of women from Augsburg in Germany. Although now a state funded Catholic academy, the school grounds and buildings are still owned by the Dominicans.

The site of Stoke Lodge convent and school was originally adjacent to the current site. The present school building was constructed in 1963 in the grounds. Due to poor condition of the old building, it was demolished in 1971 and a new convent was built. The convent chapel was dedicated to The Holy Spirit and St Martin. The convent finally closed in 2011 and much of the land sold for housing.

The current school site, never the less, still retains a significant area of the former grounds of the Lodge, many of the old and ancient trees on the site give evidence to its former landscape.

Our Patron, Saint Martin de Porres, a South American Dominican Lay-brother, provides us with an example of dedication and generosity. His example also emphasises the importance of not being bound by national, ethnic, or cultural barriers.

In partnership with the Dominican Sisters, the Catholic Diocese of Nottingham and Leicestershire County Council, the school serves the Catholic families of South Leicestershire. We welcome students of other Christian denominations, faiths and families seeking a Catholic School education for their children.

For a more indepth history of the school and convent click here

The Dominican order was originally founded in King William’s Town in 1877. The photograph shows Dominican sisters in one of their Southern African Schools (What was then Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe). For more information on the order click here