What is the connection between Millfield School and Strictly Come Dancing?

Millfield School has long been known for its sporting prowess. "Expected to play hard and work hard," says the Good Schools Guide of Millfield's pupils. "Not for those who duck out of being part of a team....a great confidence builder for sporty kids."

The school has marvellous grounds, excellent facilities, small classes (an average of 11 pupils per class!) and rather large fees (£5,940 a term in the senior school for day pupils, and £8,700 per term for senior school boarders - luckily there are lots of bursaries and scholarships on offer). But why am I writing about it now? Well, because it's in the news not for its sporting achievements, but its dancing ones: the school produced three of this year's Strictly Come Dancing contestants.

It's an impressive feat. Or not, as the case may be. For Millfield's three were not quite the best of those to make it onto the dance floor. The school was responsible for educating swimmer Mark Foster (a terrible dancer), GMTV presenter and former tennis player Andrew Castle (so much promise but sadly never the dancer viewers hoped for) and John Sergeant (enough said). Not quite fleet of foot, but still the most successful school ever on the show (no other can boast quite such a high percentage of contestants in the first place).

And those three alone make up quite an interesting little group which other Old Millfieldians could only add to in entertainment value. They include Tony Blackburn, Sophie Dahl, Max Mosley, Stewart Copeland, Gareth Edwards, and Duncan Goodhew. It all sounds strangely like an I'm a Celebrity line-up of the future...

Peter Johnson, the previous Headmaster of Millfield, says that the coincidence reflects well on the school:

“What does it say about Old Millfieldians that Millfield can boast three former pupils as competitors in such a competition?" he asks. "It shows they are willing to have a crack at anything. They don’t mind making fools of themselves. They have a sense of fun and there is a can-do attitude about them which is admirable.”

Meanwhile, Craig Considine, current headmaster adds that he is delighted that the ex-pupils are putting the school on the map for something other than sport.

“Unfortunately, Millfield is very much pigeonholed as a place of physical activity when it is such a broad school,” he says.  “I would point out to people the great emphasis we put on the performing arts and arts and cultural pursuits in general. Sergeant and his two fellow OMs have demonstrated a philosophy that the school holds today.  It’s about giving people a confidence to achieve outstanding things in their lives.”

And to ensure that future OM's are rather lighter on their feet, all students in the Upper Sixth are currently being taught ballroom dancing in preparation for the school's Christmas Ball. There are also two dance studios, and classes in various other dance disciplines, from Ballet and Tap to Street Dance and Cheerleading. Perhaps a future OM will actually be a Strictly Come Dancing winner.

Read School Gate on:

Why the Strictly Come Dancing decision was a bad lesson for children

Paying less for a private school

What is the point of non-competitive sports days?

Comments

[carbine]

I have/had a friend who spent all his childhood going through school being indoctrinated with this politically correct clap-trap about not competing. Like all of us he left school and applied for university and for the very first time in his life he had to compete. When he didn't get a place it was the FIRST time he had ever failed at anything because he had been so molly coddled by left wing socialist prats.

He couldn't cope with it and is now dead!

As an asie, isn't rather ridiculous that we even bid for the Olympics, as having now won them the government is having to invest £600,000,000 in trying to ensure we have a COMPETITIVE team to attend.

[Whimsey]

Yes, well I'll bet that Millfield isn't exactly boasting about having had Max Mosely there. Not exactly a credit to the school, is he, or a recommendation to future customers.

[eleanord]

Whimsey's username is very appropriate for a comment that is so divorced from reality!

[Martin]

Well, Whimsey, your logic would preclude sending a child to any school, as there is at least one black sheep in every fold.

[GW]

@whimsey, yet another case for banning "post a comment". What an idiotic comment. Guy Burgess went to Eton. Do we therefore permanently write off Eton as a breeding ground for homosexual communist traitors, ignoring the 18 former prime ministers? A single former pupil's questionable morals does not make that whole school "repellant". The only thing which is repellant is your idiotic reactionary attitude. Stick to the Daily Mail/Express mate.

[Whimsey]

Were I in the market for a private education, I'd think very hard about which 'famous old boys/girls' any school had produced. Quite frankly,the thought of sending a child to a school that educated Max Mosely is utterly repellent. They maybe hot on sport, Milfield, but certainly don't bother with the moral education, do they?