SCHS Reunion -“Bringing back forgotten times....”
Streatham & Clapham High School (SCHS) welcomed a group of over thirty former pupils to its Junior School this month. Most of the group were at SCHS during the 1960s at the Wavertree Road site which, at the time, accommodated both junior and senior pupils. Many of the party are celebrating their 60th birthday this year and decided to begin the festivities by meeting at the Junior School for a tour when they were able to see the many changes that have taken place since they left in 1968 and 1969. ‘Old Girls’ had travelled from far afield to attend, including one who had journeyed from her home in Dallas, USA.
The nostalgic tour of the school buildings brought back many memories of shared experiences and of the teaching staff of the day. SCHS librarian, Sue Nichols, displayed archive material in the Junior School library – covering the time our visitors were there and dating back to 1900s, as a response to the request of one ‘Old Girl’ who was a pupil during the 1950s and whose aunt attended SCHS from 1912-18. She was able to view a record of her aunt’s post-school achievement when, unusually, she went on to train as a chiropodist and begin her own practice in Balham in 1922.
As part of the Girls Day School Trust, SCHS, founded in 1887, has played an important role in the education of girls for over 120 years. Archive material preserved by the school includes photographs and publications over 100 years old. The Air Raid Log book, kept during WWII, is a record of enemy aircraft activity over South London every night during the war until the school was bombed on 27 July 1944. The original organ was destroyed that night but visitors were reassured that its replacement was subsequently restored and installed at the Abbotswood Road site after the Senior School moved there in 1993. After WWII the school at Wavertree Road was rebuilt, reopening in 1952, and is now home to the SCHS Junior School and Nursery.
After staying twice as long as planned, former pupils departed happily with comments including ‘Memories flooding back – all happy ones’ and ‘Lovely memories and still a lovely school.’