Banovallum's

Diamond Jubilee

Saturday 22nd June saw a bright and sunny morning which was certainly an improvement on the downpours that fell on the planned Open Day in October.

The lovely weather attracted a wide range of ex-students from the Bano originals through to those who had left only a few years ago. A number of former staff also popped in to reminisce and share memories of the good times that they enjoyed at Banovallum.

One of those from the first intake in 1963 was the first Head Girl, Shirley Audis who remembered presenting a bouquet of flowers to the Earl of Ancaster on the day of the official opening of the school. We managed to persuade Shirley to pose with some of our current Year 7 students who only arrived in the school in September. Derek White who attended the school shortly after it opened kindly donated his report cards which contained reports for such lost subjects as Rural Science, Handicrafts and Gardening. Derek’s report also showed the split by gender on some subjects with no comments on Needlework and Domestic Science! Nowadays all students study their modern descendants of Textiles and Food Technology.

The Lindley family returned with three generations to look at the tree planted in memory of the great-grandfather for his service to the country and the Royal British Legion.

Staff spoke warmly of the characters they encountered during their time at Banovallum, and one former member of staff recounted living for a short while in a converted bus on the site!Current Headteacher, Grant Edgar said of the event, “Today has been a lovely event form start to finish, with everyone speaking of their pride at having attended Bano and the fond memories they had of the school. I really enjoyed chatting with the older former pupils, many of them whom had tales to tell of high jinks & misbehaviour. There were a few that I could imagine would be sat outside my office even now! It was great to see students of a more recent vintage and find out their post-Banovallum journey.

“One thing that shone through was the deep affection they and their families had for the school and the fact that when they stayed in the area, they were happy for their children and grandchildren to attend. I’m proud that Banovallum continues to be seen as a cornerstone of the local community and long may that continue.”

To celebrate Banovallum's Diamond Jubilee we'd love to hear from former students and staff. Please send us any stories, memories or photos from your time at the school or post them on our Facebook page.