Past pupils and teachers gather to celebrate West Sussex school's 70th anniversary

Photographs and memorabilia were laid out for all to peruse on Friday, January 9, to mark the 70th anniversary, and the whole community was invited to take tours of the school.

Mrs Janet Murray-Brown, deputy headteacher, spoke passionately of the school's success before raising a toast.

She said: "The platinum jubilee of our school marks not just the passing of time but the building of a legacy. Since opening its doors in 1956, the Bourne has been at the very heart of the local community, and indeed the wider community, too. That relationship has not only endured but continues to flourish in today's ever-changing society."

The school opened its doors on January 10, 1956, to 345 children aged 11 to 14. It replaced the old Southbourne school, which had been built at the end of the 19th century for 100 pupils but was catering for 500 before the new building was opened.

The first headmaster, Mr R.B. Barnes, said it was 'a grand building', adding: "At times, of course, in those early days, there were many distractions. Members of the staff would wonder whether it really was a workman at the end of the corridor rather than a senior boy, whether that paint was dry and whether we should ever get rid of all that mud surrounding the school."

The school was planned on an 11-acre site in Park Road, Southbourne, adjoining the Chichester Rural District Council housing estate, and the name was derived from the ancient name of the parish of Westbourne.

The district had been partially re-organised since 1949, when it was arranged that senior children from Southbourne, including West Thorney, Compton and Stansted schools should be concentrated in the Westbourne school, which retained an infant department but transferred its junior children to Southbourne school.

The completion of Bourne County Secondary School enabled the rest of the all-age schools in the district – Bosham, Chidham and Funtington – to be reorganised as junior and infant schools, and the older children given the advantages of secondary education in an up-to-date and well-equipped building.

The new school had an assembly hall with stage, gymnasium with changing rooms and showers, seven classrooms, a geography room, library, needlecraft room, arts and crafts room, housecraft room with small demonstration flat, handicraft room and science laboratory.

Two of the seven classrooms were used for dining and meals were served from the adjoining canteen kitchen. There were also room for staff and medical inspection, a paved outside area and a playing field.

The official opening of Bourne County Secondary School did not take place until June 29, 1956. Mr H. Harmer, from Haselemere builders Chapman, Lowry and Puttick Ltd, passed the gilt presentation key to 16-year-old boy school captain Martin Pruce and he then handed it to Sir Frederick Brundrett, chairman of the defence research policy committee, to unlock the door and enter the school.

Sir Frederick and Sir Herbert Shiner, chairman of the county council, lead a procession into the hall, where the rest of the audience was assembled for the official opening.

Sir Frederick said: "In my school days, no schools existed anywhere like this very remarkable building."

The school's 'ultra-modern, high fidelity loudspeaker system' was showcased at the opening, allowing the children in the classrooms to hear the speeches.

Among many highlights over the years was the introduction of a Post Office saving stamp scheme in January 1963 to help children to save, rather than spend their money.

In December 1975, a metal sculpture was presented to the school by RAF Thorney Island. The commanding officer arrived in a helicopter and made the presentation in the assembly hall. In return, the RAF was presented with a map of the school catchment area and a copy of Cyril Sealy's book Twenty Years On…

The school's long association with the base included the 'inconvenience' of the aircraft noise on lessons and former pupils coming to the rescue when an RAF plane crashed off Thorney Island in May 1962.

Mrs Murray-Brown said much had changed over the seven decades, and the landscape of the Bourne had evolved dramatically.

"We now proudly boast the Barnes Building, the science block, the Bourne Leisure Centre, the STEM building, and the 4G Southgate Pitch, developments that past generations may once have thought belonged more to science fiction than a school campus," she said.

"We've journeyed from chalk and blackboards to whiteboards to overhead projectors, which many of us remember never quite working when you needed them. Then to interactive boards and now, incredibly, to artificial intelligence. What next, we wonder?

"Yet, despite all of this progress, one thing has never changed. As Mr Cyril Sealy, in his historical account, said in 1976, the passion to ensure that every student does their very best remains at the core of the Bourne.

"Tools may evolve, buildings may rise, and technology may advance, but dedication, care, and ambition for the young people endure. Today is an opportunity to look back at past achievements, reflect on our success, take pride in our contributions to the community, and look forward to the next 70 years. Bourne is more than bricks and mortar. It is a community, a family, and a shared story, 70 years in the making."

For the many people who were unable to attend, the school has planned a second celebration event on Saturday, March 21, from 10am to 4pm.