Mexborough and Swinton Times April 26, 1929

Wombwell’s New Middle School

Discussing educational matters with Mr. E. Tune the other day, I found him full of praise for the new Middle School.

Mr. Tune reverted to a discussion at the last meeting of the Education Committee of which he is chairman, and mentioned that by the inadvertent inclusion of the word “not” the impression had been given that he regarded the new school with disapproval. His observations revealed him as a keen supporter of the Middle School idea.

There is among members of the Education Committee and other interested people a feeling that Wombwell is large enough and important enough to have a secondary school as well as a middle school; even so, the middle school will be accepted with gratitude and appreciation as an important contribution to our local educational needs.

Mr. Tune’s view is that being now in possession of a middle school Wombwell is much better equipped educationally than many of its neighbours, for while Wombwell and Darfield have a middle school of their own the children of those two towns have access to secondary schools at Barnsley, Mexborough and Wath on exactly the same terms as others.

That is sound reasoning. As regards the status of the middle school, it may be noted that the establishment is designed and equipped on secondary school lines while the headmaster, the head mistress and most of the members of the teaching staff hold university degrees.

Actually, in the opinion of Mr. Tune and other members of the education Committee, the middle school offer wider and better facilities to the majority than would a secondary school.

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