Sharing memories with the Portsmouth High Class of 1956

This week, Jane Prescott, Headmistress of Portsmouth High School, met with the Class of 1956 for a reunion at the National Trust’s Hinton Ampner country house this week. The alumnae, now entering their 80s, all enjoyed reminiscing about their school days and laughing over photographs that Mrs Prescott had taken with her from the archives. 

In 1939, Hinton Ampner near Alresford, Hampshire, became the war time home for the school. At that time, it was owned by Ralph Dutton and became a boarding school during the second world war.

‘It is an enormous honour to be with these ladies today and to share happy memories of their school days,’ said Mrs Prescott.  ‘We very much hold the same values and ethos today as we did then; a school committed to academic excellent at the same time as encouraging girls to be independent and ambitious in a caring and friendly environment.’

‘We were all absolutely thrilled to have been able to meet up to celebrate this delightful occasion,’ said Rhoda Zeffertt (née Goldman). ‘The ‘girls’ travelled  from Wales, Oxford, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Devon, and even the Isle of Wight!  We felt very privileged to have the company of the current headmistress Mrs Jane Prescott and being at Hinton Ampner for the day, where there are historic attachments to Portsmouth High School, was delightful and the staff there couldn’t have been more pleasant and helpful.’