St Mary's School Singla, Darjeeling

The Grand Project

A special school with a big heart........ St Mary’s is a school with around 500 pupils, most of whom are sons and daughters of tea pickers in and around Darjeeling. 

It gets no funding from the local authorities and relies totally on sponsorship and other donations. Having visited the school three times since 2013, I have felt a strong bond with the Sisters and teachers there. 

In 2016, my friend Lucy – a teacher from Aston St Mary’s in the UK – travelled with me and stayed on her own at the school living and teaching with the staff. 

Two years later, Sudhina, then a teacher at St. Mary’s, came to stay with Lucy in the UK.  So a genuine Friendship Link between the two schools has been forged.

However, the uncertainties of Covid-19 and other challenges mean that the school’s future is not clear.