If you were at any of the Dr. Barnardo Sea Schools this is the place for all your memories good or bad.
Parkstone Sea Training School came into existence in 1951 prior to this date the home had been known as the The Russell-Cotes Nautical School which had been formed in 1919 with the land and funds coming from Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Coats who were involved with charity work along with overseeing development of property for the Shaftesbury Society. The Russell Cotes Nautical School had been formed to train boys of Dr. Barnardo Homes for a career in the Merchant Navy.
Over the years Watts and RCNS successfully turned out many young men who chose a career with the Merchant and Royal Navy After 1945 The Council of Dr. Barnardo's had noticed the drop in numbers of suitable candidates for nautical training to fill both The Russell Cotes Nautical School and Watts Naval Training School which Thomas Barnardo had opened in 1903. The Council of Dr Barnardo's Homes decided therefore to amalgamate the two schools in one location. The Russell Cotes Nautical School. was chosen for this purpose as being the more modern and suitably situated school and was renamed the Parkstone Sea Training School.
The amalgamation took place in October, when the Watts Naval Training School sent their nautical instructors to Parkstone in order to augment the staff. Altogether 107 boys were moved south from Elmham, and twenty-four who did not want to continue nautical training were sent from Parkstone to Watts School. "Danecourt" has been taken over as one of the school houses, and at present we have 160 boys altogether. There is a waiting list of lads who want to continue nautical training and these will be transferred from Elmham as vacancies occur. The boys from Watts Naval Training School had a friendly reception when they arrived and soon settled down. In order to standardise the uniform it has been decided that all boys will wear full sailor suits as their "No. 1s", with Jerseys, or flannels, and shorts as working rig.
From 1960 with a better welfare state in place, fewer children were being placed in the care of Dr. Barnardo's branch homes which in turn would mean fewer boys would be coming forward for sea training who could pass the entrance exam for Parkstone which in turn became difficult to maintain a comprehensive curriculum with the falling numbers plus the cost of running Parkstone was not cost effective compared to other Branch homes. The Council of Dr. Barnardo's had noticed that naval careers had long ceased to have the same appeal for most boys plus it was a fact fewer boys would be needed in the post war professional Navy. Dr. Barnardo's continued to train young boys for a sea faring carer until 1964 when Parkstone the last sea school of Dr. Barnardo's finally closed its door In 1964 the remaining boys were placed in other Dr. Barnardo Homes around the UK.