Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones
History
Originally designed by N. Squire Johnson, Anglesey county architect, with Kenneth M. Raw as job architect, the school was opened in 1950 and named after Sir Thomas Jones (1870–1945), a local doctor and the chairman of the county council, who campaigned for a secondary school at Amlwch. It was the first purpose-built comprehensive school in Britain. Initially designed to accommodate 700 pupils, further blocks were added, and by 1977 there were 1265 pupils on the register. Two main service tunnels run underneath the main corridors with two main entrances. The first is in the 6th form common room. The second is at the base of the clock tower and enters the main hall through a side door. The tunnel accessed both a storage room and a series of unfinished rooms that extend under the foyer and car park.
Welsh Language
Welsh Government defines the school as a bilingual secondary school Category 2B, which means that at least 80% of subjects (excluding Welsh and English) are taught through the medium of Welsh but are also taught through the medium of English. 34% came from Welsh-speaking homes in 2012. As of January 2018, 55% of pupils aged 5 and over spoke Welsh at home.
Notable people educated at the school
- Tom Parry Jones, a scientist, inventor and entrepreneur
- Lemmy, the lead singer of Motörhead, attended the school in the late 1950s.
- Andy Whitfield, an actor
See also
References
- ^ Haslam, Richard; Orbach, Julian; Voelcker, Adam (2009). Gwynedd: Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merioneth. Pevsner Architectural Guides. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300141696.
- ^ "Amlwch Schools". amlwchhistory.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Ysgol David Hughes". mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "A report on Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones" (PDF). Estyn. 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ "Children speaking Welsh at home". Welsh Government. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ "Lemmy the Movie: Motorhead frontman's Amlwch schooldays". BBC North West Wales. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2017.