Henry Morris (education)
Encyclopedia
Henry Morris is known primarily as the founder of Village College
s. He was the Chief Education Officer for Cambridgeshire
for over thirty years, taking up the post in 1922 during a time of depression in the United Kingdom
following the First World War.
in Lancashire
in 1889. At the age of fourteen he began work as an office boy at The Southport Visitor, later becoming a reporter. In 1910 he moved to St David's University College, Lampeter
to read for a degree in theology
, and in 1912 moved to Exeter College, Oxford
. At the outbreak of the First World War he volunteered for army service, and became an officer in the RASC
. In 1919 following the end of the war he read philosophy
at King's College, Cambridge
.
was in a poor state due to lack of funding, with no separate secondary schools in the countryside; all children between the ages of three and fourteen were educated in their village school-house, often in one room and by the same, single teacher for their entire school career. Morris envisioned integrated between secondary and community education accessible by all those living in the villages and small towns around Cambridgeshire: the idea of 'Village Colleges'. He described this as "raising the school leaving age to ninety", and firmly believed that education, both formal and informal, should be a life-long process. In the 1930s his visions materialised as the Village Colleges he had initially only hoped for, and the first four Village Colleges in Cambridgeshire were opened before the country became heavily involved in the conflicts of the Second World War.
Henry Morris' idea evolved from what was initially seen by many in the government as a radical, liberal, paternalistic approach to delivering secondary education; to a system of education that was adopted by many other counties within the United Kingdom and abroad, due to its proven success in Cambridgeshire. By the time of his death in 1962, there were many village colleges successfully delivering education to both secondary school students (11-16 year olds), and members of their local communities of all ages.
Today the concept lives on to great success in Cambridgeshire and many other areas of the country. Comberton Village College in South Cambridgeshire has, in several recent years, been at or near the top of the league tables for state comprehensive schools in England. The system of whole community education, as used by Comberton Village College, was complimented by British Prime Minister, Tony Blair
- a true reflection of the success of Henry Morris' concept.
Two further colleges were opened by him shortly after his retirement from the post in 1954.
Village College
The village college is an institution specific to Cambridgeshire, England . It caters for the education of 11 to 16 year olds during the day,...
s. He was the Chief Education Officer for Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
for over thirty years, taking up the post in 1922 during a time of depression in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
following the First World War.
Early life
Morris was born in SouthportSouthport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in 1889. At the age of fourteen he began work as an office boy at The Southport Visitor, later becoming a reporter. In 1910 he moved to St David's University College, Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
to read for a degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, and in 1912 moved to Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
. At the outbreak of the First World War he volunteered for army service, and became an officer in the RASC
RASC
RASC may be:* Reconfigurable Application-Specific Computing, a specialized reconfigurable computer for high-performance computing* Research and Advocacy Standing Committee, part of the Singapore Children's Society...
. In 1919 following the end of the war he read philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
.
Career
After a year as Assistant Secretary, Henry Morris took up the post of Secretary of Education for Cambridgeshire in 1922. At one point during the Great Depression, Cambridgeshire was the second poorest county in England, despite the relative wealth of the university. Education outside of the City of CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
was in a poor state due to lack of funding, with no separate secondary schools in the countryside; all children between the ages of three and fourteen were educated in their village school-house, often in one room and by the same, single teacher for their entire school career. Morris envisioned integrated between secondary and community education accessible by all those living in the villages and small towns around Cambridgeshire: the idea of 'Village Colleges'. He described this as "raising the school leaving age to ninety", and firmly believed that education, both formal and informal, should be a life-long process. In the 1930s his visions materialised as the Village Colleges he had initially only hoped for, and the first four Village Colleges in Cambridgeshire were opened before the country became heavily involved in the conflicts of the Second World War.
Henry Morris' idea evolved from what was initially seen by many in the government as a radical, liberal, paternalistic approach to delivering secondary education; to a system of education that was adopted by many other counties within the United Kingdom and abroad, due to its proven success in Cambridgeshire. By the time of his death in 1962, there were many village colleges successfully delivering education to both secondary school students (11-16 year olds), and members of their local communities of all ages.
Today the concept lives on to great success in Cambridgeshire and many other areas of the country. Comberton Village College in South Cambridgeshire has, in several recent years, been at or near the top of the league tables for state comprehensive schools in England. The system of whole community education, as used by Comberton Village College, was complimented by British Prime Minister, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
- a true reflection of the success of Henry Morris' concept.
Village Colleges
The following village colleges were founded by Morris.- Sawston Village CollegeSawston Village CollegeSawston Village College, the first community college in the country and the first Village College, was founded in 1930 and realised the vision of Henry Morris, then Secretary of Education for Cambridgeshire....
(1930) - Bottisham Village CollegeBottisham Village CollegeBottisham Village College is a comprehensive secondary school located in Cambridgeshire, England. The school opened in 1937 as the second village college in part of the Local Director of Education Henry Morris' vision for providing a good quality education for local people in the countryside around...
(1937) - Linton Village CollegeLinton Village CollegeLinton Village College is a comprehensive Community College with foundation and Business and Enterprise College status in Linton, South Cambridgeshire. - Feeder schools :From the ages of 4 to 11, pupils are educated at their local village primary schools...
(1937) - Impington Village College (1939)
- Bassingbourn Village CollegeBassingbourn Village CollegeBassingbourn Village College is a comprehensive school in Bassingbourn, just across the Cambridgeshire border from Royston, Hertfordshire. It currently has around 670 registered full time students. The college teaches students from Year 7 to Year 11....
Two further colleges were opened by him shortly after his retirement from the post in 1954.
- Soham Village CollegeSoham Village CollegeSoham Village College is a state secondary school with specialist Foundation Technology College and Language College status in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. It has around 1350 students, aged 11 to 16. It has a wide catchment area which does not include Ely, although some students from Ely and the...
(1958) - Comberton Village CollegeComberton Village CollegeComberton Village College is a secondary school in Comberton.Comberton Village College was opened in 1960. As a Cambridgeshire Village College, it was designed to be a centre for the life of its community and to provide quality education for pupils aged between 11 and 16.In 1974, the school became...
(1959)