Minehead Secondary schools
In 1905 a council secondary school for 40 pupils at Townsend House was considered, funded by the Ellsworth charity but the money was insufficient.[1] Minehead Grammar School, planned in 1926, opened in 1929 for boys and girls on a large site in Ponsford Road with science, domestic science and manual departments and a school hall. It was enlarged in 1932 and in 1936—8 a library, a gymnasium and more classrooms were added.[2] During the Second World War Regent Street Polytechnic Grammar School shared its classrooms and the Masonic rooms and boarded at Alcombe.[3] There were 363 pupils and 12 teachers in 1947 and 305 pupil with 18 teachers in 1957.[4] Minehead Secondary Modern School was established in 1947 with 150 pupils rising to 251 with 12 teachers in 1957. In 1954 new premises were provided at Bircham Road, Alcombe.[5]
In 1965 the grammar and secondary modern schools were combined as a comprehensive known as Minehead School but still using the two sites; Bircham Road for the lower school and Ponsford Road for the upper until 1971. There were 738 children aged 11 to 18 in 1967 rising to 1,076 in 1973 when the entire school was housed at Bircham Road. It was renamed West Somerset School with 1,125 pupils from 13 to 18 by 1980. Now known as West Somerset Community College it had 1,174 pupils in 1998 but most left at 16 for further education. In addition to the usual subjects courses were offered in catering, horticulture and agriculture. It served a catchment area of 600 square miles including much of Exmoor and had a leisure centre, farm unit and an annual horse show besides offering adult education and community events.[6]
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Mary Siraut Page 2 Somerset Reference
[1] SHC, DD/HCK 9/2/7.
[2] SHC, C/CA Minehead 1926; Kelly’s Dir. Som. (1939).
[3] SHC, A/AOE 1; above, this section.
[4] SHC, D/U/m 22/1/760; ibid. C/E 4/64.
[5] SHC, D/U/m 22/1/846.
[6] SHC, C/E 4/64, 409/120.