Thomas Mills High School Skip to navigation Email login Tel: 01728 723493 Fax: 01728 621098 inmail@thomasmills.suffolk.sch.uk Your current location: Home History of the school Home History of the school Houses Events calendar News Academy Curriculum Sixth Form Careers Pupils Parents Governors & Members Results and Ofsted Community Key staff Galleries Useful links Vacancies Find us Contact us History of the school Framlingham Who was Thomas Mills? School History Outlines Key Dates Key People The School Archives The Archives - introduction The Stanley Reeve Museum Michael Sims Memorial Fund Thomas Mills Prizes Prickett Memorial Awards Thomas Mills Tercentenary Fund THOMAS MILLS (1623-1703) Thomas Mills, a wealthy businessman and a prominent member of the Baptist community is one of the two great benefactors of Framlingham, the other being Sir Robert Hitcham, lawyer. There is no known portrait of Thomas. A Suffolk man, but not a native of Framlingham, Thomas came to the town in 1640 when he became an apprentice to one Edward Smith, wheelwright. Thomas obviously impressed his master, for in due course he inherited the business (1660). In 1662 he increased his fortune considerably by marrying Alice Groome, the widow of a wealthy Pettistree landowner. The marriage appears to have been a happy one: Alice died in 1691, leaving all her estate to her husband. Thomas was a prominent member of the local Baptist congregation. In those days of religious persecution, this was a dangerous course and he narrowly escaped imprisonment on a number of occasions. Clearly, he was a man of principle as well as a man of business. When he died, Thomas left his fortune for good causes in Framlingham and other locations where he had had business interests. His Will ordered the building of Almshouses for the elderly poor which still stand - Pevsner calls them "a stately range". Unlike Hitcham's Almshouses, Thomas wanted people to be accepted whatever their religious convictions - a remarkable thing at that time. Any money left over was to be spent on "the education of the children in Framlingham." Thomas Mills High School is the third to bear his name and still benefits from Thomas's estate. Since 1998 the Mills Charity has made a number of very generous and significant donations to help the school improve its buildings including the Mills Charity Building, Scrivener’s Building, the Performance Studio, Sports Hall 2 and the David Floyd Rooms. In 2003 we celebrated the Tercentenary of Thomas’s will by establishing a fund to help educate children in poor countries (see Thomas Mills Tercentenary Fund). Since that year the school has celebrated the anniversary of Thomas’s gift on the annual Thomas Mills Day in January. (Return to school history contents) SCHOOL HISTORY OUTLINES: Key dates EARLY YEARS 1703 Thomas Mills died, leaving money for the elderly and for education in Framlingham 1751 First Mills School opened in Brook Lane, Framlingham, for boys and girls 1799 Mills School moved to 19, Double Street, Framlingham 1878 Mills and Hitcham's Schools amalgamated to provide elementary education: the origin of the modern Hitcham's Primary School 1891 Mills educational trust separated from Hitcham's once more: Mills money and some Hitcham's money set aside to build a new Girl's Grammar School. MILLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 1902 Mills Grammar School opened as a small independent school with 25 girls, aged 8 - 16, under Headmistress ELLEN MARY FISHER. (There was also provision for a kindergarten department, which could admit both boys and girls.) 1903 Hervey Prizes established: awarded ever since 1917 Prefects first appointed 1921 Mills Grammar School became a Local Authority school: it had grown four times as big as it had been in 1902 and the Governors could not afford to expand the buildings 1924 Carley Prizes established: awarded ever since 1925 Houses first established 1928 New Buildings opened 1929 New boarding house opened at "The Limes", College Road 1933 Miss Fisher retired: ETHEL MAY PRICKETT, M.A., L. es L., became Headmistress. 1937 HMI General Inspection of the School described it as "a civilising influence" but considered that it would never "attain to advanced scholarship." It also condemned the accommodation and facilities, saying the School not only lacked "most of the amenities of a school but many of the essentials." The Local Authority refused further building work. 1939 Mills threatened with removal to Saxmundham. Threat postponed by the outbreak of War; revived in 1945, and not finally withdrawn until 1955. 1945 Mills became an 11 - 18 School, following the 1944 Education Act, although younger girls already in school were allowed to continue. 1945 Wickham Market Rural Pupil Teacher Centre amalgamated with Mills. MISS CLARA TURTON (its head since 1920) joined the staff of Mills, in time becoming Sixth Form Mistress. 1952 Mills celebrated its first 50 Years. MISS FLORENCE HORSBRUGH, Minister of Education in the Churchill government, was Guest of Honour for Speech Day. 1952 HMI General Inspection commented very favourably on the school's progress since 1937. 1957 MISS PRICKETT retired as Headmistress. 1958 MISS B. E. LANGSHAW became the third Headmistress. 1958 Miss Fisher died. 1959 Sir Patrick Hamilton offered CRANSFORD HALL to the School as a residential boarding house. 1960 New Gate and Railings bought for School as a Memorial to Miss Fisher (they may still be seen in their original place in Fairfield Road). 1961 Death of Miss Prickett. Her Memorial Fund, established then, still provides an annual sum, which is used to provide a University Scholarship for a Thomas Mills student to study Modern Languages. 1962 HMI General Inspection commented favourably on the school's progress, especially as a Sixth Form centre. 1964 Parents Association formed. 1964 First French and German Exchange Visits organised. 1967 First Trip to the Low Countries (at first, Belgium, later, Holland). 1969 First School Fete held at Cransford (now, the Summer Fun Evening). 1969 School bought its first Minibus (cost, £950). 1974 Boys admitted for the first time at 11, the Local Authority no longer paying Framlingham College to send Grammar School Boys there. 1976 Sixth Form numbered 100 for the first time. 1977 School raised sufficient money in one year to build a Swimming Pool. 1979 Mills Grammar School closed and Miss Langshaw retired. 475 pupils. FRAMLINGHAM AREA/MODERN SCHOOL 1937 Framlingham Area School opened for 11 - 14 year olds not selected to attend a Grammar school. 151 pupils, under Headmaster, STANLEY REEVE. An Evening Institute (for adult classes) attached to the School. 1938 Official opening ceremony performed by Sir Frederick Mander, President of the National Union of Teachers. 1940 STANLEY REEVE left to become Headmaster of Kesgrave Area School. F. L. ("Freddy") WALES became Headmaster. 1945 Area School renamed "Modern School" following the passage of the 1944 Education Act. 1950 SALLY BLINCO became the first student at any Modern School in the County to pass GCE O Level examinations - eventually collecting passes in five subjects. 1953 HMI General Inspection commented favourably on the work of the School in cramped and difficult conditions. 1955 FREDDY WALES retired and MR ALFRED STEPHENS (Deputy Head since 1937) appointed Headmaster. 1964 Major extensions to the buildings for a School which had grown to 254 students. 1967 ALFRED STEPHENS retired - donating an impressive Shield for House Football competitions - and was succeeded as Headmaster by MR JOHN IVES. 1972 School leaving age raised from 15 to 16 - new buildings erected to accommodate larger numbers (present Music and Drama rooms). 1974 MR IDRIS SAXTON, Deputy Head, collapsed at School and died a few weeks later. He had been on the staff since the school opened. 1974 369 pupils in the School. 1976 MR IVES left the School to become Headmaster of Hardwick Middle School - MR MICHAEL BROWN became fifth and last Head. 1976 MRS GWEN BALDRY, Senior Mistress, a member of staff since 1937, retired. 1979 Framlingham Modern School closed. 1966 Local Authority published first proposals for Comprehensive reorganisation of secondary schools. Framlingham Modern School to become a Middle school; Mills Grammar to close; Framlingham College to be invited to become a 13 - 18 Upper School for the area. (After College Governors rejected this option, the County Council purchased land adjacent to the Modern School field on which to build a brand new Upper school.) 1976 Suffolk County Council decided to have an 11 - 18 High School in Framlingham, by expanding the Modern school buildings. Later, they sold off the land previously purchased for the Upper school. THOMAS MILLS HIGH SCHOOL 1979 Thomas Mills High School opened with MR MICHAEL BROWN as first Headmaster. 1981 Building work finished at the new School and the Mills Grammar School was closed and, later, sold by the Mills Charity to which it belonged. The new buildings were, from the beginning, too small for the number of students (the Local Authority provided permanent buildings only for 590, including a Sixth Form of 125) and "temporary" mobile classrooms had to be brought from the Grammar School site. 1982 Sixth Form numbers more than double those in 1979 (220). 1982 Local Authority closed the residential boarding facility at CRANSFORD HALL. 1985 MICHAEL BROWN retired and succeeded as Headmaster by MR TONY LEACH. 1985 MICHAEL SIMS, Head Boy 1981-82, tragically killed on holiday in the United States. A Memorial Fund established at School raised enough funds to found a permanent charity to benefit Thomas Mills students. 1988 MISS PAT CORRIGAN, Deputy Head at Mills Grammar School (1966-79) and Thomas Mills (1979-88) retired. 1990 After over a decade of campaigning, a new Sixth Form Centre was built by the Local Authority. 1993 Parents rejected the option of Thomas Mills becoming a Grant Maintained school. 1995 MR TONY LEACH left the School to become the Principal of Hamilton College and was succeeded as Headteacher by MR DAVID FLOYD. 1996 School awarded TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE status and a CHARTER MARK Award. 1997 SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR ALL IN THE FRAMLINGHAM AREA. 1997 Ofsted General Inspection said, "THIS IS A GOOD SCHOOL WHERE STUDENTS MAKE GOOD PROGRESS AND REACH HIGH STANDARDS IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF CIVILISED COLLABORATION." 1997 School awarded a SPORTSMARK. 1998 MILLS CHARITY BUILDING - part of our Technology College development - opened. 1999 Scriveners Building Opened 2001 Performance Studio Built 2002 Centenary of Mills Grammar School marked by the dedication of the ELLEN FISHER GARDEN, named in honour of the first Headmistress. 2003 Tercentenary of Thomas Mills celebrated by the establishment of a charity to help the education of children in the Third World. 2004 Silver Jubilee of Thomas Mills High School. HRH the Duke of Kent opened a new laboratory. 2005 Mr David Floyd retired and was succeeded by Mr Colin Hirst. 2006 New Dining Hall and second Sports Hall built. 2008 Two new ICT rooms opened. 2010 David Floyd rooms added to the Mills Charity Building in honour of the former Head (who died in 2008). 2011 1st June Thomas Mills High School became an academy. 2012 Mr Colin Hirst retired and was succeeded by Mr Philip Hurst. 2013 Mr John Hibberd MBE retires after 38 years of service to the school (Return to school history contents) Key People BALDRY (nee BAKER), GWENDOLINE MARGARET (1916-93) An original member of staff of Framlingham Area School in 1937. She was Senior Mistress from 1956 until her retirement in 1976. She left a considerable sum of money to the School in her Will which is used to provide prizes in her name; some of it was used to help establish the School Archives. BOWEN (nee NESLING), NANCY N. Mrs Bowen's father, C.C. Nesling, was a Governor of Mills Grammar School, which she attended as a pupil. Mrs Bowen taught music at the School from 1953-61 and is Vice-President of the Mills Grammar School Association. BROWN, M J M (MICHAEL), M.A. Last Headmaster of Framlingham Modern School (1976-79) and first Headmaster of Thomas Mills High School (1979-85). Perhaps Mr Brown's major achievement was to bind together the Mills Grammar and Framlingham Modern Schools - and both their staffs - so smoothly and so quickly into one. BRUNGER, CONSTANCE (d. 1980) Daughter of W.T. Brunger, she succeeded her father as a Manager of Framlingham Area School and her mother as a Governor of Mills Grammar School. She served both schools devotedly and with distinction for 30 years, and became Chairman of both their Governing Bodies. She endowed a Prize Fund in her Will BRUNGER, WILLIAM THOMAS (d. 1937) A well-known figure in Framlingham in the early years of the 20th Century, and Secretary of Framlingham College from 1885. He was a Manager of Hitcham's School and was appointed as its representative on the governing body for the new Area School in 1936. His death in 1937 led to his widow and daughter presenting the new school with the Brunger Shield for House competitions, in his memory. His wife was sometime Governor of Mills Grammar School. CARLEY, SAMUEL GREEN (d. 1924) A prominent Framlingham figure, he became Chairman of Governors of Mills Grammar School in its early years. In his will, he established a charitable trust to provide prizes at the School, which are still awarded. CORRIGAN, MISS P. M. Deputy Head of Mills Grammar School, 1965-79, and of Thomas Mills High School, 1979-88, Miss Corrigan remains a loyal friend of the School. She played the pivotal role in holding the School together during Comprehensive Reorganisation. EDEN, MRS SANDRA An outstandingly talented Art teacher, she joined the staff of Mills Grammar School in 1965 and stayed on at Thomas mills High School after 1979. Head of Art, 1993 - 1995, when she retired through ill-health, sadly dying shortly afterwards. Generations of student-artists owe her an enormous debt. FAIRWEATHER, MASON W. H. Mr Fairweather taught at Framlingham Modern School in 1940 and from 1946-79 and was Head of Lower School at Thomas Mills High School, 1979-83. He taught generations of pupils how to tend farms and gardens and how to be good citizens. He was a great and much-loved teacher and a man of absolute integrity. FAIRWEATHER, PAULINE A. M. Daughter of F.L. Wales and wife of Mason (above), Mrs Fairweather's made a very significant contribution to the School in her own right. She taught, briefly, at Mills Grammar School (where she had also been a pupil for a few months) and, later, for several spells at Framlingham Modern School, from 1957 onwards. Head of Home Economics at Thomas Mills High School, 1979-82. FLOYD, DAVID GRAHAM Headteacher, 1995-2005. It is impossible to overstate Mr Floyd’s contribution to Thomas Mills High School. He raised standards and transformed our buildings. His enterprising, get-up-and-go attitude, moral courage and excellent example revitalised every aspect of the school. He died in 2008. FISHER, ELLEN MARY (1872-1959) Cambridge Local Certificate (Hons. in History); Cambridge Teachers' Diploma. Headmistress, Mills Grammar School, 1902-33. A devoutly Christian woman with a belief in the importance of practical service, she established Mills as a small private girls' school and, later, presided over its transition to a County Grammar school. HAMILTON, ELEANOR, LADY (d.1958) For many years a Governor of Mills Grammar School. After her death, her son (Sir Patrick Hamilton, Bt) offered her home, CRANSFORD HALL, as a boarding house for the School. HERVEY, LORD JOHN (1841-1902) County Councillor. A Memorial Fund established in 1903 provided prizes at four Suffolk schools, including the newly opened Mills Grammar School. For long misspelt "Harvey", these prizes are still awarded and the fund (although greatly reduced by inflation) still contributes to the cost. HIBBERD, MBE, JOHN Head of History, Head of Sixth Form and Deputy Headteacher from 1975-2013. Mr Hibberd's contribution to the development and success of the school is inestimable. He was central to the team overseeing the transition of the two Framlingham Schools in the 1970's into the outstanding comprehenisve school it was to become. He was a 'rock and a pillar'. The comments by former staff and pupils on his retirement are testament to this. His award of an MBE was apt recognition of his services to education in Framlingham. HILL, JAMES AND WILLIAM Father and son, in turn Masters of the Mills School from 1799 until it closed. HODGIN, WINIFRED WESTERN (1903-77) Joined the staff of Mills Grammar School in 1942 to teach Maths and Geography and became Deputy Head in 1947 on Miss Pechey's retirement. She retired in 1963. She endowed a Prize fund for the School in her Will. HULLAND, AGNES (b. 1861) Instrumental Music teacher at Mills Grammar School, 1902 - 1940, Mrs Hulland prepared generations of girls for Associated Board exams. The wife of the Chemist in Framlingham, she later moved to Aldeburgh, travelling each day to Framlingham by railway train until she retired. IVES, JOHN CHARLES Headmaster of Framlingham Modern School, 1967 - 1976. Mr Ives had a great interest in Drama which he did much to foster in the School. LANCHESTER, REV CANON HENRY CRAVEN ORD (d.1947) Rector of Framlingham from 1917, Canon Lanchester played a huge role in the affairs of the town and its schools. He was Chairman of Governors of both Mills Grammar School and Framlingham Area School for many years and founded a prize fund, from which Lanchester Prizes are still awarded. LANGSHAW, BETTY E. B.A. (Liverpool) - French.Headmistress of Mills Grammar School, 1958 - 1979 and Housemistress of Cransford Hall (Boarding House), 1959 - 1979. A tireless worker, Miss Langshaw built upon the foundations laid by her predecessors to modernise and extend the School curriculum. The Sixth Form grew steadily; interested girls were encouraged to take science; extra-curricular opportunities were expanded and all were encouraged to expand their horizons and take advantage of the opportunities opening up for girls at that time. In 1974, she presided over the School's successful transition to a co-educational Grammar School. It would be difficult to overestimate her contribution to the school: it is to a great extent upon the foundations she laid that Thomas Mills High School now stands. She remains the School's loyal friend. LANGTON, BEATRICE E (1883 - 1937) Second Mistress (Deputy Head) of Mills Grammar School, 1915 - 1935, when she was forced through ill-health to retire. From 1926, she edited the School Magazine. On her retirement, she presented the School with a silver cup, which is still used. LEACH, ANTHONY J. Headmaster (known, from 1993, as Headteacher) of Thomas Mills High School, 1985 - 1995. Mr Leach did much to raise the reputation of the School after the turbulent years of comprehensive reorganisation; under his leadership, the School went from strength to strength. PRICKETT, ETHEL MAY (1897 - 1961) M. A. (London); Licence-es-Lettres (Lille). Headmistress of Mills Grammar School, 1933 - 1957. A loveable, somewhat eccentric character, a lover of France and an excellent French teacher, she was totally dedicated to her School and its girls. It was she who, when the School was threatened with closure and re-location to Saxmundham, led the resistance and bought land next to the School so that it could expand on its own site. The Prickett Memorial Fund awards an annual Scholarship for a Thomas Mills student going on to Higher Education to study Modern Languages. REEVE, STANLEY CYRIL (1903 - 1997) Cambridge Teachers' Certificate.First Headmaster of Framlingham Area School, 1937 - 1940: previously, the Head of the village school at Snape. Although only Head for three years, Stanley Reeve had a powerful influence on the School and his former pupils remember him with great affection. He left to become Head of Kesgrave Area School - he had a handicapped daughter and wanted her to be nearer to a hospital in the difficult circumstances of wartime. In old age, he wrote a book of memoirs - "Stanley Reeve Recalls." SIMS, MICHAEL PARK (1963 - 1985) A pupil of Mills Grammar School and Thomas Mills High School from 1978 to 1982, having previously been educated in the United States. He was a very distinguished Head Boy from 1981 to 1982, when he left to study Medicine at University College, London. He was tragically killed in 1985, which led to the setting up of the Michael Sims Memorial Fund, a registered charity attached to the School. STEPHENS, ALFRED Having first taught at Hitcham's School, Alfred Stephens became Deputy Head of Framlingham Area School in 1937, a post he held until 1956, when he became Headmaster. He retired in 1967, presenting the School with a fine Shield for football competitions, which is still used. TURTON, CLARA HELEN (1894 - 1968) Head of Wickham Market Pupil Teacher Centre from 1920 to 1945, when she and her girls joined Mills Grammar School. In due course, she became Sixth Form Tutor, helping to build up Advanced Level work in arts subjects, until she retired in 1955. She endowed a Prize Fund for the School in her Will. WALES, F. L. ("FREDDY") (b. 1893) Headmaster of Framlingham Area/Modern School, 1940 - 1956. Freddy Wales, a man of high standards, had to steer the School through the difficult War and Post-War years. It says much that he managed at the same time to extend the sporting, musical and dramatic activities of the School, in all of which he had a keen interest. He was Secretary of the County Music Committee for many years. WILLIAMS, BEATRICE MAUDE ("NOBBY") (1928 - 1997) Nobby Williams, a pupil of Mills Grammar School, 1940 - 1946, became part-time P. E. Teacher there in 1962 and revitalised the teaching of the subject - and extra-curricular provision. Eventually, she became Head of P. E and, later, at Thomas Mills High School, Assistant Head of Sixth Form. She retired in 1987, having worked devotedly for Mills students, both in and out of school hours, for a quarter of a century. She was, quite simply, incapable of speaking an untruth or of deliberately letting anyone down. (Return to school history contents) The Archives - introduction THE SCHOOL ARCHIVES are a collection of photographs, objects and documents, both official and informal, relating to the history of Mills Grammar School, Framlingham Area/Modern School and Thomas Mills High School. There is also a small collection of items relating to local history or to educational developments. Some of the items were found in School, but the majority have been donated by individuals or organisations interested with the School or its past. THE ARCHIVES are housed in in a specialist room with a dispaly section in the School Library. The archives are available on request to staff, pupils, former staff and pupils or members of the local community, under normal terms and conditions, designed to protect the collection. THE CATALOGUE is in the form of a database accessible on the School I.C.T. Network: at the last count, there were over 4600 entries. Searching for them is, however, quite easy using the database - please seek assistance, if you require it, from the Librarian. A small selection of items, which are listed in full in the catalogue, are RESTRICTED ACCESS ONLY. This is usually because they contain information which living people MIGHT find embarrassing. If you wish to view such an item, you must first seek the approval either of the Headteacher or Senior Teacher, Mr R H Hanley. The School Governors have laid down as their policy that, once accepted into THE SCHOOL ARCHIVES, items cannot be disposed of. Examples from the Mills Grammar School archives. Examples from the Framlingham Area/Modern School Archives (Return to school history contents) The Stanley Reeve Museum - A living history museum of the Second World War - The Museum occupies two Second World War air raid shelters on the school site. Original;ly six shelters were built to protect the children and staff of Framlingham Area School; four have since been destroyed. The Museum is named after Mr Stanley Reeve, the greatly respected Headmaster of Framlingham Area School from its opening in 1937 to 1940 and was opened 1998 by the late Mrs Dorothy Leggett, one of his pupils. The garden around the shelter is named after her. One shelter houses a sound system and is used to give pupils and visitors the experience of through a noisy air raid. The other shelter contains an exhibition of objects from the war years kindly donated by a numbe of friends of the school. The Museum is managed by the School's History department and is used with the Key Stage 3 pupils when they study the War years. It is usually open to the public on Open Day and the Summer Fun Evening (for a modest charge). Other schools may request to use it by contacting Mr John Moore at the school. (Return to school history contents) Michael Sims Memorial Fund (Registered Charity No. 297530) Michael Sims, a former Head Boy of Thomas Mills High School, was tragically killed in 1985. He was half way through his medical course at University College Hospital in London. This charity was founded in his memory to benefit the pupils of the school he had loved and to encourage his own interests in others. The Trustees of the Fund use the interest earned on the capital sum of more than £90,000 that has been donated over the years since 1985 (it is still growing!) to further the following aims: To award the annual Michael Sims Memorial Prize to a student who has combined interest and enthusiasm for academic study, leadership qualities and service to others to make a positive contribution to school life. These were qualities which Michael himself had in abundance. To provide grants to students and former students (under the age of 25) of the School to help them undertake foreign travel for educational purposes. To help former students of the School who become medical students. To help promote an awareness amongst students of the School for the affairs of the Third World. To purchase books for the School Library or items of equipment for the Science department. The Trustees usually meet twice a year, in February and June. There are ten Trustees, including the Headteacher of Thomas Mills (ex officio) and also, at present, Mr Hibberd and Mr Cann. The Trustees welcome requests in writing from students and former students under the age of 25 years for grants to encourage travel for educational purposes. Letters requesting help may be addressed to any of the school-based trustees and should include the expected benefits of the trip, the costs to be incurred and a brief itinerary. Chairman of Trustees – Mrs Neena Atkinson. Michael Sims: a tribute Information for Applicants (Return to school history contents) Thomas Mills Prizes (Registered Charity No. 1075349) Thomas Mills Prizes is the consolidated charity which manages money donated over the years to endow prizes at the school. Most of the historic funds relate to the former Mills Grammar School and a few to the former Framlingham Modern School, while others have been endowed since Thomas Mills High School opened in 1979. The various individual prize funds managed by the charity are as follows: Name Date Origin Awards Carley Prizes 1924 Will of S G Carley, Chairman of Governors, MGS, 1900 – 1914. Prize for Outstanding Results in Upper Sixth. Hervey Prizes 1903 Memorial fund for Lord John Hervey, county councillor. Prize for English Literature in Upper Sixth. Lanchester Prizes 1948 Will of Canon H C O Lanchester, Rector of Framlingham, Chairman of Governors, MGS and FMS. Prize for progress in Upper Sixth. Hulme Welch Prizes 1959 Prizes endowed in the memory of Geoffrey Hulme Welch by FADS at both MGS and FMS, originally for public speaking. Prize for English Language in Upper Sixth. Clara Turton Prizes 1969 Memorial fund for Miss Turton, who was Head of the Wickham Market Rural Pupil Teacher Centre, 1920 – 1945 and Sixth Form Mistress at MGS, 1945 – 1955. A prize for Progress in the Lower Sixth (Value = £7.00) and a Prize for History in Upper Sixth Winifred Hodgin Prizes 1977 Will of Miss W W Hodgin, Deputy Head of MGS, 1947 - 1963. Prizes for both Geography and Mathematics in Upper Sixth. Brunger Prizes 1983 Will of Miss Constance Brunger, Chairman of Governors, MGS and FMS. Prizes for both French and Politics in Upper Sixth. Baldry Prizes 1994 Will of Mrs Gwendoline Baldry, who taught at FMS, 1937 - 1976. Prize for Design in Upper Sixth. Langshaw Prizes 1997 Endowed by Miss Betty Langshaw, Head of MGS, 1958 – 1979. Prize for Original Research in Upper Sixth. The Hibberd Prize 1999 Endowed by John Hibberd MBE, Head of History, Head of Sixth Form and Deputy Headteacher 1975-2013 Prize for the Upper Sixth student who has ‘added most value’ to his/her qualifications in the Sixth Form. Corrie Prizes 2003 Endowed by the will of Miss P M Corrigan, Deputy Head of MGS and TMHS, 1965 – 1988 and by a fund collected by the MGS Association. Prize for Endeavour in Year 11. Mason Fairweather Prizes 2007 Endowed in memory of Mr M W H Fairweather, who taught at FMS and TMHS, 1946-83. Prize for Citizenship in Year 9. There are three Trustees who are elected by the School’s Governing Body for three-year terms. They meet once a year. They are not responsible for choosing who wins each prize, which is a matter for the Headteacher and his staff, but ensure that the named prizes are funded appropriately. Prizes are awarded at the Annual Awards Evening each December. Chairman of Trustees – Mr Bruce Hinton. (Return to school history contents) Prickett Memorial Awards (Registered Charity No. 1075348) This registered charity (also referred to as the Prickett Memorial Fund) was formed in 1965 with funds donated in memory of Miss Ethel May Prickett, who from 1933 to 1957 was the second Headmistress of Mills Grammar School. She died in 1963. Her photograph hangs in the Library and the plate underneath records publicly the existence of this charity. Miss Prickett was a devoted teacher of French and led the first two school visits to France in the 1950s. Originally it was envisaged that the charity would fund travel abroad for educational purposes, but this function became increasingly redundant after 1982, when the Mills Educational Foundation began to do the same thing, and still more so when the Michael Sims Memorial Fund was established in 1987. For many years in the 1980s and 1990s the fund was used to subsidise the French Exchange but, in 1996, the Governors decided instead to use the annual income to provide a scholarship to a student leaving the Sixth Form to pursue the study at degree level of French (preferably) or of another modern foreign language. Their 1996 Resolution lays down the procedure to be followed by the Headteacher and staff in awarding the Scholarship. The charity was re-registered in 1999 and later in the same year the Charity Commissioners issued a scheme to formalise its change of purpose. The following Prickett Memorial Scholarships have been awarded: 1996 Marie-Claire Jenkins 1997 Jonathan Adam 1998 Timothy Baxter 1999 Katherine Wells 2000 Alexandra Pickering 2001 Richard Girling 2002 David Sleight 2003 Sarah Creighton 2004 Emma Fisher 2005 Henrietta Inman 2006 Celeste Small 2007 Charlotte Gaffer 2008 Kristin Mazurkewicz 2009 Rebekah Shoukry 2010 Lauren Dilieto 2011 Chloe Williams 2012 Madeleine Adey 2013 Florence Vane 2014 Sammy Fell The whole Governing Body used to act as trustees but since 2005, in a change approved by the Charity Commission, they now elect three Trustees to manage its affairs. The Trustees serve for three-year terms and meet once a year. They are not responsible for choosing who wins each Scholarship, which is a matter for the Headteacher and his staff, but ensure that it is funded appropriately. The Scholarships are awarded each September. Chairman of Trustees – Mr Bruce Hinton. (Return to school history contents) Thomas Mills Tercentenary Fund (Registered Charity No. 1098741) In 2003 – the tercentenary year of the man after whom the School is named – pupils, parents and staff raised £25,000 to endow a new charity. This capital sum has grown somewhat since. The aim of the charity is to help children in poor countries – specifically to help them gain secondary education. Just as Thomas Mills left his wealth to help the poor elderly and the children of Framlingham, so this new charity is the School’s way of helping children who do not have all the advantages that our pupils have. It was felt in 2003 that this would be the most fitting memorial to our own great benefactor. There are five Trustees who meet once a term to decide on how to spend the income of the Fund. Pupils from each year also attend the meetings and have their say on who the Fund should help. We sponsor a number of children in poor countries and have provided funds to help build secondary schools in Africa and to support a school in India. Chairman of Trustees – The Headteacher. (Return to school history contents) All our charity entries can be checked on the Charity Commission website http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk © 2015 Thomas Mills High School. All rights reserved. A Company limited by guarantee incorporated in England & Wales number 7605059 Registered Office Saxtead Road Framlingham Suffolk, IP13 9HE Accessibility Site map Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms of use Skip to head of page