At Parkstone (Dorset) there was a sea-training establishment of the then Dr. Barnardo's Homes. To be accepted the boys had to have a keen desire for a healthy open-air life on the sea, If this was their wish they were sent to Parkstone where they were given nautical training to fit them for this special calling. The routine, the discipline and the training were all planned on Naval lines to familiarise the boys with the elements of a seafaring life.

Parkstone Sea Training School came into existence officially in 1951. Prior to this date the home had been known as Russell-Cotes Nautical School which had been formed in 1919. The land and funds had come from Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Coats who had been involved with charity work along with overseeing development of property for the Shaftesbury Society. Dr. Barnardo's had formed RCNS to train boys for a career in the Merchant Navy. The home was officially opened in 1922.

The first Barnardo sea school,” Watts Naval Training School”,  had been opened in 1903 under the watchful eye of Thomas John Barnardo but was not formally opened until 1906. WNTS housed about 300 boys, it stood on high ground at North Elmham in Norfolk, about fifteen miles from Norwich and twelve miles from the sea. The whole estate covered some 54 acres  and was bounded to the west by the river Wensum, the School was officially recognised by the Admiralty.

Over the years WNTS and RCNS successfully turned out many young men who chose a career with the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy but after 1945, the council of Dr. Barnardo's had noticed the drop in numbers of suitable candidates for nautical training to fill both RCNS and WNTS. The council decided therefore to amalgamate the two schools in one location. Russell Cotes Nautical School was chosen for this purpose as being the more modern and suitably situated school and was renamed Parkstone Sea Training School.

The amalgamation took place in October 1949, when WNTS sent their nautical instructors to Parkstone in order to augment the staff. Altogether 107 boys were moved south from Elmham, while it is recorded, twenty-four boys did not want to continue nautical training, they were sent from PSTS to what was to be called the new Watts School, that took family groups from the age of 3 to 15 years old from  January 1950. The school finally closed as a Dr Barnardo home in December 1953.

The new sea school Parkstone would need to expand, to this end "Danecourt", previously a private house, was taken over as one of the school houses. PSTS now had some 160 boys and had a healthy waiting list of lads who wanted to continue nautical training; these were transferred from Elmham as vacancies occurred. The boys from WNTS had a friendly reception when they arrived and soon settled down. In order to standardise the uniform it was decided that all boys would wear Royal Navy uniform as their "No. 1s", with jerseys, and shorts as working rig.

From 1960, with a better welfare state in place, fewer boys were being placed in the care of Dr. Barnardo's, which in turn meant fewer boys would go forward for sea training who could pass the entrance exam. The down side of this was it became difficult to maintain a comprehensive curriculum with the falling numbers. Also there was the cost of running PSTS that was no longer 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 career until 1964 when PSTS finally closed its doors, the remaining boys were placed in other Dr. Barnardo Homes around the UK.

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