St Swithun Wells Catholic

Primary School

'Where the love of God is always present'

In 1958, Father Philip Dayer was sent out from Westminster to form a new Catholic parish in South Ruislip. He began operations from a house in Queens Walk, to which he added a small chapel from where mass could be said. He made his next priority the provision of a school. Land on East Mead was acquired and Blessed Swithun Wells was built and opened in January 1962. A hut set up on the site was used as a mass centre until St Gregory's church was opened in Victoria Road in 1967.

The school opened with 80 children in four classrooms, two infant and two junior, but very soon expanded to seven classes, with about 35 children in each. A nursery was built for 20 children, in 1981. There are 228 now children on roll in 2024.

Saint Swithun Wells  (1536-91),  who was martyred for harbouring priests at his house in Grays Inn Fields, is displayed at the church for our school community and provides a link between St Swithun Wells school and St Gregory the Great parish where we practise.

Blessed Swithun Wells, after whom the school is named was one of the Forty English Martyrs canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970, leading to the change in name from Blessed to Saint Swithun Wells.