Millfield

Millfield is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located in Street, Somerset, England. It was founded in 1935.

For other uses, see Millfield (disambiguation).

Millfield
Address
Butleigh Road

Street
,
Somerset
,
BA16 0YD

England
Coordinates51.1225°N 2.7275°W / 51.1225; -2.7275
Information
TypePublic school
Private boarding and day school
Established1935
FounderJack Meyer
Department for Education URN123911 Tables
HeadmasterGavin Horgan
GenderCo-educational
Age2 to 18
Enrollment1,240
Houses19 Boarding, 5 Day
Former pupilsOld Millfieldians
Websitehttp://millfieldschool.com/senior

Millfield is a registered charity and is the largest co-educational boarding school in the UK with approximately 1,330 students, of whom over 990 are full boarders of over 70 nationalities. Millfield Development and the Millfield Foundation raise money to fund scholarships and bursaries. The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The Millfield campus is based over 240 acres in Somerset, in and around Street, in the South West of England.

Millfield has its own pre-prep and preparatory school, Millfield Preparatory School (also known as Edgarley) in nearby Glastonbury, which takes children from 2 to 13 years old. The prep school shares some of Millfield's facilities. It acts as a feeder school, with over 90% of its pupils typically moving up to Millfield each year.

History

Millfield was founded in 1935 by Jack Meyer (referred to at Millfield as "Boss"), following his return from India with seven Indian boys, six of whom were princes. The school started in the mansion built and originally owned by the Clark family, who owned and ran the shoe manufacturer Clarks.[1]

Meyer, educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College,[2] adhered to the philanthropic aim, known at the school as The Millfield Mix: "...to nurture talent by providing the very best facilities, teaching, coaching and opportunities in which young people can exercise and explore their abilities; and to give awards to those in financial need."[3]

In 1939, the school became one of the first independent schools to become co-educational.[4] Over the years, the school acquired land and houses around the locale, and as a result there were many boarding houses within a 10-mile (16-kilometre) radius of the original site; this resulted in boarders living at houses or billets in the outlying villages – being bussed in and out for lessons and meals.[2] The girls' boarding house was at Ashcott House from 1967 until 1984.[5]

Over recent years, many of these houses have been sold and the proceeds invested in new on-campus boarding houses. There are currently three remaining country boarding houses occupied by male pupils.

In the 1990s the school gained a reputation for drug and alcohol use among the pupils and a teacher was charged with assaulting a female pupil. In response, the school says that it takes a pragmatic approach to dealing with these problems; the school offers drugs counselling where appropriate, and for periodical visits to the school by police officers with sniffer dogs. Any pupils who are found with any illegal substances are immediately expelled.[6]

In 2005 the school was one of fifty independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times, which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents.[7] Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling £3 million into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.[8]

In 2018, the school made national news when allegations of bullying arose after a student reported that Year 10 pupils were beaten with cricket bats and belts for an initiation ceremony. After the parent of the student reported these allegations to the headmaster, an investigation was conducted and two pupils were suspended. Headmaster Gavin Horgan said: “I believe passionately in pupils having a voice and their wellbeing continues to be our top priority. Our rigorous safeguarding procedures mean any concerns that arise at school are dealt with quickly, transparently and fairly.”[9] According to a Freedom of Information request the school left the Teacher's Pension Scheme on the 31st August 2021.[10]

Houses

Millfield is predominantly a boarding school, having around 75% of its pupils as boarders.[11] The school operates a house system, which is based on sex and status as a day pupil or boarder. With the introduction of 'Nine at Millfield' in 2014, Year 9 is now treated as a transitional year with the school having 'Year 9 only' day and boarding houses. All of the other houses are Years 10–13 boarders, and two are exclusively for Sixth Formers (i.e. Years 12 and 13). The boarding houses are supervised by house parents, assisted by assistant house parents, tutors, and matrons. Each house generally has around 40 to 50 pupils.

There are fourteen boys' and nine girls' houses; the oldest house is Millfield House, which is the original building in which the school first began operating. The house opened when the school was established in 1935 and is now one of Year 9 boarding houses.[12] The house used to be the mansion of the Clark family, whose shoe business, C. & J. Clark, is based in the town.[13]

Girls
HouseYear Groups1Day/Boarding
AbbeySeniorBoarding
AcaciaYear 9Boarding
KernickSeniorBoarding
The LakesSeniorDay
MartinsSeniorBoarding
OverleighSeniorDay
PortwaySeniorBoarding
SouthfieldSeniorBoarding
WarnerSeniorBoarding
Boys
HouseYear Group1Day/Boarding
ButleighSixth FormBoarding
EtonhurstSeniorBoarding
The GrangeSixth FormBoarding
GreatSeniorDay
HolmcroftSeniorBoarding
Joan's KitchenSeniorBoarding
Keen's ElmYear 9Boarding
KingwestonSeniorBoarding
MillSeniorDay
MillfieldYear 9Boarding
OrchardsSeniorBoarding
St Anne'sSeniorBoarding
ShapwickSeniorBoarding
WaltonSeniorBoarding

[14][15]

Sports

Millfield is known for its sporting prowess and has produced many international and Olympic athletes;[16] its campus houses a wide range of sports facilities.[17] 130 staff sports coaches oversee the 29 different sports on offer, including athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, clay shooting, cricket, cross country, dance, equestrian, fencing, football, golf, hockey, karate, modern pentathlon, netball, outdoor activities, rowing, rugby, ski racing, squash, swimming, tennis, trampolining and triathlon.[18]

Olympic Games

Millfield has been represented at every Olympic Games since 1956. At the London 2012 Games, Millfield was the most represented UK school. At the Rio Games in 2016, eight Millfieldians took part and won a total of four medals in rowing, swimming and rugby sevens.[19]

Millfield has an indoor and outdoor riding arena and golf courses, as well as a 50 metre swimming pool, which appeared as a venue in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.[20] The Russian swimming team used the school as its training base before the London Olympics, and the Great Britain modern pentathlon squad also used the school's facilities in preparation for the games.[21]

Preparatory School
Millfield Preparatory School
Location
Glastonbury
,
Somerset
,
BA6 8LD

England
Coordinates51.139°N 2.689°W / 51.139; -2.689
Information
TypePreparatory day and boarding
Established1946
FounderJack "Boss" Meyer
Department for Education URN123921 Tables
Head teacherDan Thornburn
GenderCoeducational
Age2 to 13
Websitemillfieldschool.com/prep

Millfield Preparatory School is a coeducational preparatory school in Glastonbury and is the feeder for the senior school. Currently there are 442 pupils attending the school, 231 boys and 211 girls. 146 of the pupils are boarders and 296 are day pupils.

History

The school was founded in 1946,[22] by Jack 'Boss' Meyer who also founded and ran Millfield and later became the headteacher. He bought Edgarley Hall and its grounds from the Thomas-Ferrands, following use by the army in World War II.[23]

Meyer's philosophy was "...to nurture talent by providing the very best facilities, teaching, coaching and opportunities in which young people can exercise and explore their abilities; and to give awards to those in financial need."[3]

A pre-preparatory department was initially started at the 19th-century house, The Hollies,[24] in the centre of Glastonbury in the mid-1980s, later moving to the main preparatory school site.

Boarding

Around 43% of pupils are boarders. Boarding has been an integral part of the school for most of its history. There are three boys' boarding houses and two girls' houses, each housing between 30 and 40 pupils. Flexi-boarding is also available.

HouseGender
BerewallBoys
ChampionGirls
ChestnutBoys
HolliesGirls
Edgarley ManorBoys

[25]

Sport

There are 24 sports on offer and over 70 co-curricular activities. Sports facilities include: a 50m swimming pool,[26] an equestrian centre, sports halls, cricket nets, putting green, squash courts, Astro-turf hockey pitch, outdoor tennis courts, netball courts and a 9-hole golf course.

Chapel

The school chapel was opened in 1897 as a mission church serving Edgarley.[27]

Notable former masters

Headmasters
  1. 1935–1971 Jack 'Boss' Meyer[6]
  2. 1971–1986 Colin Atkinson[2]
  3. 1986–1990 Brian Gaskell[2]
  4. 1990–1998 Christopher Martin[2]
  5. 1998–2008 Peter Johnson[6]
  6. 2008–2018 Craig Considine
  7. 2018– Gavin Horgan

Notable alumni
See also: List of people educated at Millfield

Images
  • Millfield House
    Millfield House
  • The new maths block
    The new maths block
  • The school cricket ground and pavilion
    The school cricket ground and pavilion
  • The 50m Olympic Pool at Millfield
    The 50m Olympic Pool at Millfield
  • A map of the campus showing the facilities
    A map of the campus showing the facilities
  • Boss Meyer's bust outside Millfield House
    Boss Meyer's bust outside Millfield House

Arms
Coat of arms of Millfield
Crest
On a wreath Argent and Azure kn a mount vert a windmill Gules between two branches of hawthorn Proper.
Escutcheon
Vert the sails of a windmill saltirewise between four crosses bottonee Argent.
Motto
Molire Molendo [51]

References
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  2. Oliver, Mary. "Millfield in its Infancy". Street Society. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. "Boss Meyer". Millfield School. Archived from the original on 4 April 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  4. "Millfield School". IVC technologies. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  5. 'Ashcott', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 8, the Poldens and the Levels, ed. Robert Dunning (London, 2004), pp. 13–25. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol8/pp13-25 [accessed 1 October 2017].
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  7. Halpin, Tony (10 November 2005). "Independent schools face huge fines over cartel to fix fees". The Times. London. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  8. "The Office of Fair Trading: OFT names further trustees as part of the independent schools settlement". Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
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  30. Trim, Liam. "50 famous people who went to school in Somerset and Dorset". Somerset Live. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  31. Kingston, Peter (25 November 2008). "Where the 'dancing pig' got his confidence?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
  32. "Jason Connery". Superior Pics.com. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
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  35. http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/13432.html Archived 8 July 2012 at archive.today Cricinfo page on David Graveney
  36. "Player profile". Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  37. "Interview. Adam Hastings on stepping of dad Gavin's shadow". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
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  45. Cockcroft, Lucy (24 July 2008). "Max Mosley: Talented man with tainted name". Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
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  48. Davies, Gareth A. (14 May 2013). "Chris Robshaw says going to Millfield School helped him overcome his dyslexia". Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
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