In the first of a series of articles marking Woodbridge High School’s 85th anniversary, headteacher Steven Hogan reflects on the school’s history and a former student recounts their wartime memories
Woodbridge High School first opened its doors as two separate schools: St Barnabas School for Boys and St Barnabas School for Girls in 1937. The two schools then merged to become the co-educational Woodbridge High School in September 1972, making this academic year the 85th anniversary of schools on the site, and the 50th anniversary of Woodbridge.
We had the pleasure of welcoming a group of former staff and students to the school last term for a special event to celebrate the milestone. The visitors received a tour of their old school, listened to some musical performances from current students and enjoyed tea and birthday cake.
There was also the opportunity to look at lots of school memorabilia, including the original school log, which began in 1937 and tells the story of the school in the war years, as well as a school trip to Nazi Germany in 1939 just before the outbreak of war, where a group of St Barnabas boys played football with the Hitler Youth.
It was a pleasure to meet so many former students and share their memories of Woodbridge and St Barnabas down the years. They loved being shown around by our current students and checking out their old classrooms. Some say your schooldays are the best days of your life – I don’t know whether that is true, but I do know the memories stay with you forever, and we had a lovely time reminiscing.
Former student Robert Putt, who attended the school in the early 1940s, remembers the 17-foot, chain-link fences that divided the grounds at the front and back into two schools. He recalls how it was forbidden for the boys and girls to have any contact with one another whatsoever! Punishment for breaking this rule was the cane for the boys and usually detention for the girls. “I enjoyed my schooldays more than anything. They were happy days, despite the war… You should always treasure your schooldays, as life after school becomes repetitive and is therefore harder to remember. But your schooldays are when lots of things are new and they stick in your memory forever,” said Robert.
To continue our anniversary celebrations, we held a Christmas fayre with an anniversary theme, where students were able to look through the history of the school. We have also put together a time capsule and will give out anniversary memorabilia badges to our students. Plus, there will be other anniversary-themed events throughout the rest of the school year.
Woodbridge High School is located on St Barnabas Road in Woodford Green. For more information, call 020 8504 9618 or visit woodbridgehigh.co.uk
