Tributes are paid to former head of Blanchelande College

‘Firm but fair’ was how present acting vice-principal Alexa Yeoman remembered the sister during her time as a student, when the college was still at its original location in St Martin’s.

‘She was a wonderful headmistress,’ she said.

‘She was very kind – a lot of people said she had a very kind face.

‘She had a good working relationship with all the pupils and I think a lot of them have fond memories of her.’

Former principal Lesley Le Page joined the school in 1977 immediately after completing teacher training and she said that at that time Sister Gertrude was teaching science, but her first subject was geography.

‘She was always supportive and approachable and clearly a very dedicated and talented teacher,’ she said.

‘Some of the sisters were quite formidable and Sister Gertrude was certainly no walkover, but her kindness and care for the pupils came across clearly.

‘She had a lovely smile and seemed to be permanently cheerful, unless you did not meet her exacting standards – when she was very clear about what you needed to do.’

Sister Gertrude took over as headteacher from Mother Stanislaus in the late 1980s, taking on what Mrs Le Page said was the ‘daunting responsibility’ of being responsible for nearly 300 girls aged from five to 18, including boarders.

Mrs Le Page, who was at Blanchelande for 34 years, the last 14 of them as principal, said she remembered the sister taking an active part in staff versus students sporting events.

‘Netball and hockey, when you did not want to get in the way of her corners. She also seemed to enjoy the many musical and dramatic productions at the school.’

However, a decline in the number of sisters led to the decision to close the school at St Martin’s in the early 1990s, a time which Mrs Le Page said was difficult for all concerned. Friends and parents kept the Blanchelande name alive, with the support of Deputy Valerie Renouf.

It moved temporarily into the former Girls’ Grammar in Rosaire Avenue in 1992 and then to its current home at Les Vauxbelets in 1999.

‘Sister Gertrude sent us her good wishes after the new school opened and I would like to think that she would have been proud that the Blanchelande name, which she had nurtured so well, had carried on so successfully into the 21st century.’

Sister Gertrude moved back to the UK where she continued teaching, but changed back to her birth name of Deirdre, said former pupil and teacher Marian Nightingale, who was in touch with the sister until about 18 months before her death. Mrs Nightingale said she had last heard of Sister Deirdre living in Doncaster.

‘As a pupil, we all knew she was fair,’ she said. ‘Not all the nuns were quite the same, but she was lovely.’

Advocate John Greenfield is one of the current school’s trustees and was a member of the board of governors when Blanchelande was based at St Martin’s.

‘She was an amazingly warm and friendly and very sensible person, but with that necessary inner steel that’s needed from anyone who’s going to be put in charge of a school,’ he said.

Sister Gertrude managed to find a balance between being charming and nice to deal with while always being on top of things, he said.

‘She wouldn’t let the children or anyone else she had to deal with get out of hand,’ he said.

He would have liked her to have seen what the school had become today.

‘It would have been lovely for her to have come and seen it. I think she would have been intrigued by it being co-educational.’