E/PS1/1/1

Correspondence file [ex EV74], including the following:

1916 - 1921

From: 1916 To: 1921

- correspondence regarding Bedfordshire County Council (BCC) Education Department. using accommodation at Girls’ Modern School (later Dame Alice Harpur School) for teacher training classes following the closure of premises in Priory Street; - Board of Education form - Application for Recognition of Secondary School as Eligible for Grants, regarding Bedford Modern School for Girls (BMSG), giving details of school’s income and expenditure for 1916/17; - notes of conference between Education Act Sub-Committee of Bedfordshire Education Committee and representatives of Secondary Schools (the four Harpur Trust (HT) schools - Bedford School (BS), Bedford Modern School for Boys (BMS), Bedford High School (BHS) and Bedford Modern School for Girls (BMSG)), plus Ashton Grammar School, Dunstable and Luton Modern School); - report of Sub-Committee [presumably the Education Act Sub-Committee] regarding Harpur Trust, setting out points regarding: co-ordination of schools and transfer of scholars; additional provision for schools and hostels; regulating admission; and remuneration of teachers; - graphs showing variation in source of income of each of the four Harpur Trust schools between pupils’ fees, Harpur Endowment, Government Grants, BCC grants and other income; - income figures for each HT school from 1916 to 1920; - estimates of income and expenditure for each HT school, 1919/20; - estimates of the amount spent per pupil in HT schools and Luton Modern School, 1920; - income and expenditure figures per pupil for HT schools, Luton Modern School and Dunstable Ashton Grammar School, 1919/20 and 1920/21; - figures for individual staff member salaries for each HT school 1920/21; - memo regarding financial assistance to secondary schools; - report of Special Committee on the HT; - detailed BCC Education Department Report, with appendices, on grants to HT Secondary Schools; - detailed breakdowns of pupils at the four HT schools by age, including day pupils, boarders and free places; - figures on free places offered and taken etc. for each HT school, Dunstable Ashton Grammar School, Luton Boys’ and Girls’ Modern Schools and “Cedars” School, Leighton Buzzard; - report on reasons for relaxation of conditions as to 25% free places at BS and BHS and for not increasing the agreed 10%; - notes on conference between HT Governors and BCC; - letters to Board of Education informing of increased fees at HT schools; - detailed estimates of the work to be undertaken in repairing and altering BS Moravian Buildings, 34 St.Peter’s Street, George P.Allen, architect; - letter from HT to BCC and BCC memo regarding necessity for improvements to Moravian Buildings; - Director of Education and County Architect’s report to Education Committee on grants to HT secondary schools; - BCC letter to HT regarding revised BCC grants; - HT memorandum regarding deficits in HT schools budgets and how to meet them; - agenda of quarterly meeting of HT governors to discuss salaries in the light of the Burnham Scale; - Leeds Director of Education’s notes on additional financial aid to endowed secondary schools; - HT letter asking for more information regarding revised BCC grants; - notes regarding principles used in calculating BCC grant and justification of them; - details re figures used in grant calculations; - article in Bedford & County Record (15 Nov 1921) regarding Education Committee grant to HT; - article in Bedfordshire Standard (18 Nov 1921) - “County Council Grant to Harpur Trust - Certain Conditions Criticised - Lord Ampthill’s Protest”; - article in Bedfordshire Times & Independent (25 Nov 1921) - “The County Council and the Harpur Trust - “Very Grave Situation””; - article from Bedfordshire Record (29 Nov 1921) recording in full a BCC debate on grant to HT; - letter to Bedfordshire Times (2 Dec 1921) from Lord Ampthill, HT chairman, regarding argument by the councillor (Thomas Keens) who carried the council on the matter of the grant to HT being based on a false premise; - detailed BCC memorandum on HT, including: Lord Ampthill’s letter [see above]; the Area Scheme; Education Act’s statutory requirements regarding secondary education; use of the term “standard” in relation to the curriculum, instruction, exams, staffing, salaries, equipment, games and “tone” and “atmosphere”; Lord Ampthill’s standard being that of a public school; circumstances that might justify high expenditure; alleged changes of policy; table of expenditure per capita in various schools; and appendix noting BS masters receiving a higher salary than entitled to under Burnham Scale; - joint report on HT by County Aldermen Thomas Keens and William Palmer.

item

Harpur Trust,
Bedfordshire County Council,
Education Department,
Board of Education,
Allen, George P.,
Director of Education,
Bedfordshire Standard,
Lord Ampthill,
Bedfordshire Times & Independent,
Bedfordshire Times,
Keens, Thomas,
Palmer, William

EDUCATION, private schools, Harpur Trust, business correspondence, Bedfordshire County Council, BEDFORD, buildings and land use, education buildings, Bedford Girls' Modern School, teacher, training, Bedford Priory Street, Board of Education, funding, school accounts, conference, education staff, Harpur Trust schools, upper schools, Bedford School, Bedford Modern School, Bedford High School for Girls, Dunstable Ashton Grammar School, DUNSTABLE, Luton Modern School, LUTON, wages, fees/charges, boarding school, Award, scholarship, Luton Boys Modern School, Luton Girls Modern School, Cedars School, LEIGHTON BUZZARD, school governors, estimator, building work, Moravian buildings, Bedford St.Peter's Street, George P. Allen, Director of Education, County Architect, budget, business papers, agenda, newspaper cuttings, Bedford & County Record, Bedfordshire Standard, Bedfordshire Times & Independent, Bedfordshire Record, Bedfordshire Times, chairman, Councillor, national acts, public schools, curriculum, Examinations, Aldermen