Tasker-Milward V.C. School

Tasker Milward Voluntary Controlled School is an English medium secondary school in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales. It has over 1,000 students (at last count it was over 1,200^[2]). The Sixth Form is a member of the "Haverfordwest federation" which links it with Sir Thomas Picton School and Pembrokeshire College.

History

The old building of Tasker's School for Girls, Tower Hill, Haverfordwest.

Tasker-Milward School was created in 1978 after the closure of two separate schools, the Haverfordwest Grammar School and Tasker's School for Girls.

Haverfordwest Grammar School was founded by no later than 1488. ^[3] Thomas Lloyd, of Cilciffeth near Llanychaer, endowed the school with property in his will dated 22 November 1612.^[4] This included farms, which earned a rental income, enabling the school to be free. The school also benefited from the will of John Milward in 1654, who also bequeathed to King's Grammar School, Birmingham.^[5] The grammar school was a boarding school until it moved to new premises in 1965.^[6] It was located where the town's library stands today.^[7] It was also, between 1938 and 1958, a Public School, its headmaster RS Lang being a member of the Headmasters' Conference.^[8]

Tasker's Charity School was established by the Tasker Charity, which was set up by Mary Tasker (previously Miss Howard/Hayward, of 1 Flether Hill, Rudbaxton) in her will dated 1684,^[9] to educate poor children of both sexes, although it later became a school for girls. The old school buildings have since been turned into flats.

Tasker's School for Girls and Haverfordwest Grammar School ceased to exist in 1978, and pupils transferred to the new Tasker-Milward school.

Since September 2007 the headteacher has been Mrs M Haynes.^[2]

The school has an average pass rate of five GCSEs (C and above), the lowest in Pembrokeshire.

Amenities

The school has three buildings located on site:

The Milward Building (Bottom School), housing the English, Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Physical Education departments and the library; the Humanities Block (H Block), where the Geography, Geology, History and RE departments are based ("H Block" was built in 2001); and the Tasker Building (Top School), where the Welsh, MFL, Biology, ICT, Drama, Media Studies, Music, Technology and Art departments are based. This Tasker Building also caters for the Sixth Form, providing a computer/work area and a common room.

Sporting

There is an inflatable sports dome on the grounds, referred to as The Dome, which contains two tennis courts and a basketball/netball court. The Dome is open to the public after school hours (from 4pm), on weekends and school holidays. Often, power cuts or vandalism prevent the maintenance of the dome's defining structure. When this occurs, the building is simply referred to as The Pancake. Other sporting facilities include four outside tennis courts, an all-terrain pitch (ATP) and rugby pitch.

Special needs facilities

The school has had ramps and stair lifts installed in bottom school. Top school is less well equipped and has no disabled access for most classrooms. There is one stair lift for disabled access to get into the Music, Drama and English Rooms.

In summer 2008 some of the playing field was lost to the building of the new Portfield special-needs school. As part of the arrangements, the all-weather pitch was refurbished and is now a multi-purpose ATP.

Senior Staff

Headteacher

• Mrs M A Haynes

Deputy Headteacher

• Mrs H Lewis

Assistant Heads

• Mr R Jones
• Ms M Corp
• Rev. John Cecil

Head Of Years (Commencing September 2013)

• Head of Year 7 – Miss L Davies
• Head of Year 8 – Miss E O'Rourke
• Head of Year 9 – Mr A Llewellyn
• Head of Year 10 – Mr A Barlow
• Head of Year 11 – Mrs S Martin
• Head of Sixth Form – Mrs K Clapperton

Teachers

English
• Mr Steve Walker (Head of English)
• Mrs Lauren Davies
• Mrs Janet Higgs
• Mr Lawson Smith
• Mrs Charlotte Stephens

Mathematics
• Mr John Powell (Head of Maths)
• Ms Nia Griffiths
• Mr Scott Hammett
• Mr Whitehead

Science
Chemistry
• Mr Jon Sharpe (Head of Chemistry)
• Mrs Janette Bowen
• Mrs Pam King

Physics
• Mr Peter Harris (Head of Science)
• Mr Gibbs

Biology
• Mrs Jean Hill (Head of Biology)
• Mrs Sarah Martin

Physical Education
• Mr Andy Barlow (Head of PE)
• Mr Owain Harpwood
• Mrs Kelly Clapperton
• Mrs Jill Jones
• Miss Clair Butler

Welsh/Cymraeg
• Mrs Karen Mallin (Head of Languages)
• Mrs Amy Morgan
• Mrs Melanie Corp
• Ms Enfys O'Rourke
• Mrs Lynne Jones (Covering maternity)

Technology
• Mr Gary Evans - Resistant Materials (Head of Tecnology)
• Mr Kevin Elcock - Resistant Materials
• Mr Anthony Llewellyn - Woodwork/Metalwork
• Mrs Kate Blackmore - Food Technology
• Ms Nia Williams - Textiles

Art
• Mr Chris Prosser (Head of Art)
• Mrs Shona Edwards
• Miss Rosella Phillips (covering maternity)

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)
• Ms Katherine Mackey
• Mrs Sarah Wade
• Ms Bodinger

Information Communication Technology (ICT)
• Ms Liz Scourfield (Head of ICT)
• Mrs Helen Lewis
• Mr Scott Hammett
• Mrs Sarah Martin

Welsh Baccalaureate (WBQ)
• Ms Liz Scourfield (WBQ Coordinator)
• Mrs Kelly Clapperton
• Mrs Rosella Phillips
• Mrs Melanie Corp
• Ms Nia Griffiths (AoN teacher)
• Mrs Kate Blackmore
• Mrs Christine Spencer
• Mrs Charlotte Stephens
• Mr Richard Jones

Psychology
• Ms Ruth Allen

Health and Social
• Mrs Christine Spencer (Head of Health and Social)
• Ms Ruth Allen
• Ms Helen Warren

History
• Mr Aled Rumble (Head of History)
• Rev. John Cecil
• Mr Timothy Hutchinson

Geography
• Mrs Josephine Lloyd (Head of Geography)
• Mrs Pam Howells
• Mr Aled Richards
Geology
•Mrs Pam Howells
•Mr Aled Richards

Religious Studies (RS)
• Mr Phil Griffiths (Head of RS)
• Mr Aled Rumble
• Mr John Cecil
• Mrs Jennie Bowen
• Mrs Donna Hall
• Mrs Lauren Davies

Music
• Mrs Sarah Sharpe (Head of Music)
• Ms Enfys O'Rourke

Drama
• Ms Fleur Leeming (Head of Drama)
• Mrs Charlotte Stephens

Library
• Mrs Ghila Frost (Librarian)

Charity work

• Armistice Day – Poppies are sold in school, which usually raises over £500.
• Children in need – A non-uniform day is held every year, at the cost of £1. In addition, a fancy dress day is usually held for sixth formers and this usually raises over £1,000. A stage show is normally held annually and is arranged by the head sixth formers. Held in the school hall and canteen which holds approximately 500 pupils.
• Red nose day – Red noses are sold in school and £1,000+ is often raised.
• Jeans for Genes – Non-uniform day, but jeans must be worn.
• Wear It Pink Day – Pupils, and staff, are advised to wear an item of pink clothing, as well as non-uniform, and pay £1 to raise money for Breast Cancer UK. This takes part every October and both children and staff have great fun dressing up for a worthy cause.
• Bloodhound Project-Three boys in Year 9 2012, Morgan Bugler, Thomas Strand and Ben Richards organized a non-uniform day to raise funds for the Bloodhound Project, which aims to reach the 1000mph barrier in a car. The project was very successful and raised £540, which means that Tasker Milward School will have their name on the fastest car in history.

Controversy

Sexual Education Policy

On 20 August 2013 the school was accused of having a sex education policy that referenced Section 28 (a now repealed act).

The policy stated "Section 28 of the Local Government Act does not prevent teachers from addressing issues of homosexuality in the classroom in a neutral and unbiased manner, however, the local authority shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material which actively promotes homosexuality."

The school was immediately put under the investigation of the Welsh Government, who described the policy as 'simply unacceptable'.

As of 20 August 2013 the school refused to comment. However, Pembrokeshire County Council released a statement stating "The Sex Education policy on the Tasker-Milward school website was an old policy not in operation and which had not been deleted. The school does have a current Strategic Equality Plan, further details of which can be obtained directly from the school. The headteacher, Maggie Haynes, apologises for any distress that the failure to remove the old policy from the website may have caused.^[10]

Notable former pupils

• Stephen Crabb – Member of Parliament for Preseli Pembrokeshire
• Chelsea Manning – (formerly Bradley) U.S. Army soldier convicted of leaking classified information via Wikileaks

References

1. ↑ https://www.pgfl.org.uk/schools/tmf/TaskerMilward/Pages/staff.aspx
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "From the Head: Welcome to Tasker Milward". Tasker Milward Voluntary Controlled School. 
3. ↑ G Douglas James "The History of Haverfordwest Grammar School", JW Hammond & Co, 1961.
4. ↑ "HAVERFORDWEST [HWLFFORDD]". Genuki. Retrieved 26 August 2011. 
5. ↑ Mr Basil H. J. Hughes. BA. "Gazzetter: Haroldstone". Cenquest Census Research Wales. Retrieved 26 August 2011. 
6. ↑ WG Thomas "The History of Haverfordwest Grammar School - The Later Years", JW Hammond & Co, 1978.
7. ↑ "Historic Haverfordwest: In Pictures". BBC South West Wales. September 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2011. 
8. ↑ G Douglas James "The History of Haverfordwest Grammar School", JW Hammond & Co, 1961.
9. ↑ "Pembrokeshire Record Office - Secondary School Records; Sample Selection of Textbooks used in Pembrokeshire Schools and Pembrokeshire Technical College Records". Archives Wales. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
10. ↑ http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tasker-milward-section-28-investigation-5757914