Living history lesson for pupils as St Mary's celebrates

Flapper dresses and gangster suits were worn by administrative staff for the day. Teaching assistants wore school uniforms.

The principal, David Cassar, wore his Master's academic gown.

And pupils wore mufti for, as one explained: "You don't expect to wear school uniform to a birthday party...."

From the time-line being made by pupils in design and technology to Charleston lessons to the music of a wind-up gramophone, the entire day was devoted to turning the anniversary into a learning resource.

The Observer's guide for a tour of the festivities was deputy head of school Margaret Amey. Margaret had compiled a compiled a DVD illustrating the school's history via a 300-item picture sequence on a large screen.

Saturday Night Fever provided the atmosphere in a Seventies-style classroom where Jane Earnshaw, who was at the school from 1977 to 1979, was taking the lesson.

Barbara Lambird had travelled from Twickenham and Jane Lawrence from Surbiton to take part.

Barbara was a pupil from 1950 to 1960 and Jane from 1956 to 1962.

Both were delighted to be taking part and deeply impressed by the growth and improvements since their school days.

Jane Barker (1955 to 1961), said: "It's a great pleasure. It's been wonderful how the school has grown and developed."

Mini-Bricks and Muffin The Mule, Viewmaster and Bayko, Pegity and skittles '“ one classroom was given over to the childhood toys and games of the past.

Another class was busy making golden Tutankhamun masks while physiotherapy room staff were dressed as Twenties doctors and trust social worker Sue Ensor had arrived, dressed in costume, with her husband Cllr Michael Ensor in his 1925 Bull-nosed Morris Doctor's Coupe.

Sarah and Roger Argyll met and married while working at the school in 1982. They were talking a class of St Mary's College students through albums showing the St Mary's of yesterday.

In Food Technology, pupils were using Fifties kitchen utensils and employing such Fifties delights as evaporated milk and condensed milk.

The science laboratory housed a purpose-built Punch And Judy booth and was given over to the production of traditional Punch And Judy figures while in the art studio the history of flight was being illustrated by a kite-making class.

Kitchen supervisor Kay Beaney had iced a special birthday cake. An evening disco for the pupils was followed by a well-earned adult version for the hard-working staff.

Flapper dresses and gangster suits were worn by administrative staff for the day. Teaching assistants wore school uniforms.

The principal, David Cassar, wore his Master's academic gown.

And pupils wore mufti for, as one explained: "You don't expect to wear school uniform to a birthday party...."

From the time-line being made by pupils in design and technology to Charleston lessons to the music of a wind-up gramophone, the entire day was devoted to turning the anniversary into a learning resource.

The Observer's guide for a tour of the festivities was deputy head of school Margaret Amey. Margaret had compiled a compiled a DVD illustrating the school's history via a 300-item picture sequence on a large screen.

Saturday Night Fever provided the atmosphere in a Seventies-style classroom where Jane Earnshaw, who was at the school from 1977 to 1979, was taking the lesson.

Barbara Lambird had travelled from Twickenham and Jane Lawrence from Surbiton to take part.

Barbara was a pupil from 1950 to 1960 and Jane from 1956 to 1962.

Both were delighted to be taking part and deeply impressed by the growth and improvements since their school days.

Jane Barker (1955 to 1961), said: "It's a great pleasure. It's been wonderful how the school has grown and developed."

Mini-Bricks and Muffin The Mule, Viewmaster and Bayko, Pegity and skittles '“ one classroom was given over to the childhood toys and games of the past.

Another class was busy making golden Tutankhamun masks while physiotherapy room staff were dressed as Twenties doctors and trust social worker Sue Ensor had arrived, dressed in costume, with her husband Cllr Michael Ensor in his 1925 Bull-nosed Morris Doctor's Coupe.

Sarah and Roger Argyll met and married while working at the school in 1982. They were talking a class of St Mary's College students through albums showing the St Mary's of yesterday.

In Food Technology, pupils were using Fifties kitchen utensils and employing such Fifties delights as evaporated milk and condensed milk.

The science laboratory housed a purpose-built Punch And Judy booth and was given over to the production of traditional Punch And Judy figures while in the art studio the history of flight was being illustrated by a kite-making class.

Kitchen supervisor Kay Beaney had iced a special birthday cake. An evening disco for the pupils was followed by a well-earned adult version for the hard-working staff.