Thomas Mills High School
Encyclopedia
Thomas Mills High School is a comprehensive school
in Framlingham
, Suffolk
, England. The current Headteacher is Mr G Colin Hirst and the Deputy Headteachers are Miss Elizabeth Halley and Mr John Hibberd. The assistant headteachers are Mr Dennis Tatoo, Mr Mark Wheeler and Mr John Jennings.
philanthropist Thomas Mills stipulated within his will
that money from his estate be used to "further the education of the children in Framlingham", and as such the Trustees of Mill's estate eventually established the first Mills School in 1751 on Brook Lane, Framlingham. The School was able to survive for one hundred and fifty years, during that time moving from Brook Lane to Double Street within the town. The School was then combined for several years, starting in 1878, with the Hitcham School in Framlingham, before becoming separate once again in the form of the Mill's Grammar School at the turn of the century. The Hitcham School continuing also, eventually becoming the modern Sir Robert Hitcham Primary School in the town. Opening in 1902 as an independent
Grammar school
for girls aged 8–16 with a starting total of only twenty five pupils, Mills Grammar School grew over the course of the 20th century, eventually submitting to local authority control in 1921, changing its age provision to 11-18 in 1945 and finally admitting boys to attend the school in the mid-Seventies.
By this time the traditional model of Grammar, Modern and Technical schools had fallen out of favour and local councils were encouraged to form all-admitting comprehensive schools for the purpose of secondary education
. As a result of this Mills Grammar School was merged with Framlingham Modern School, established in 1937, beginning in 1976 under the supervision of latter's Headmaster, Michael Brown. Brown became the first Headmaster of the newly formed Thomas Mills High School opening in 1979, which exists on the site of the old Modern School utilising the pre-existing buildings and facilities, much of which continues to be used today along with many more modern additions. The original charitable trust established by Mills in his will continues to this day in the form of the Mills Charity, which has maintained a relationship with the school and has regularly been involved and contributed financially to projects within it.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
in Framlingham
Framlingham
Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District of Suffolk, England. Commonly referred to as "Fram" by the locals, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a population of 3,114 at the 2001 census...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England. The current Headteacher is Mr G Colin Hirst and the Deputy Headteachers are Miss Elizabeth Halley and Mr John Hibberd. The assistant headteachers are Mr Dennis Tatoo, Mr Mark Wheeler and Mr John Jennings.
History
The history of the school dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, when local merchant and BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
philanthropist Thomas Mills stipulated within his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
that money from his estate be used to "further the education of the children in Framlingham", and as such the Trustees of Mill's estate eventually established the first Mills School in 1751 on Brook Lane, Framlingham. The School was able to survive for one hundred and fifty years, during that time moving from Brook Lane to Double Street within the town. The School was then combined for several years, starting in 1878, with the Hitcham School in Framlingham, before becoming separate once again in the form of the Mill's Grammar School at the turn of the century. The Hitcham School continuing also, eventually becoming the modern Sir Robert Hitcham Primary School in the town. Opening in 1902 as an independent
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
Grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for girls aged 8–16 with a starting total of only twenty five pupils, Mills Grammar School grew over the course of the 20th century, eventually submitting to local authority control in 1921, changing its age provision to 11-18 in 1945 and finally admitting boys to attend the school in the mid-Seventies.
By this time the traditional model of Grammar, Modern and Technical schools had fallen out of favour and local councils were encouraged to form all-admitting comprehensive schools for the purpose of secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
. As a result of this Mills Grammar School was merged with Framlingham Modern School, established in 1937, beginning in 1976 under the supervision of latter's Headmaster, Michael Brown. Brown became the first Headmaster of the newly formed Thomas Mills High School opening in 1979, which exists on the site of the old Modern School utilising the pre-existing buildings and facilities, much of which continues to be used today along with many more modern additions. The original charitable trust established by Mills in his will continues to this day in the form of the Mills Charity, which has maintained a relationship with the school and has regularly been involved and contributed financially to projects within it.