Happy 50th Birthday Thamesmead! 

Memories shared by past students, parents and staff who attended the School’s

50th Birthday Cabaret on Wednesday, 29th June 2011.

Music was the foundation stone of Thamesmead – hymn singing in Assembly which lasted half an hour.  The staff joined in more enthusiastically than the children (it delayed going to lessons).  Musicals with a cast of 150 were performed annually – on Friday afternoon the whole school worked on a show – Art, Drama, staging programmes and the biggest task of all, costumes, e.g. My Fair Lady, 150 at Ascot in black/white.  There was a staff choir too.  Gradually formal music became individual performance and hence the start of events such as tonight’s spectacular.  We moved from HYMNS to HITS in 50 years!

-oOo-

Most controversial decisions we ever had to make:

1)  Mirrors in the toilets

2)  Soft toilet paper

3)  Girls wearing trousers

4) Staff wearing trousers (FEMALE!)

                                 (Ex-teacher)

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In the late 1980s uniform regulations weren’t that strict.  Mrs. Lodge asked me, in reference to my heavily gelled and backcombed fringe if I had styled it deliberately or if I had walked into a wall.  Mr. Jordan once asked if my rather short mini-skirt was in fact a belt.

 (Ex-student and now a current parent)

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My memory…. is of my daughter being able to pedal safely each day to and from Laleham around 1980, and myself being appointed as a Governor some 30 years later!           

(Ex-parent and Governor)

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What is now the Food Technology room was the Needlework room.  Jess did the needlework for her own wedding dress.  To her surprise when she came out of St Nicholas Church there was a guard of honour – 6 or 8 Thamesmead girls with their school hockey sticks. Guess what? – Jess was Head of Girls’ P.E. (not Needlework!).  After the wedding Mrs. Robson (Head of Needlework) asked if Jess had had a good day.  The answer was “Of course!”  Mrs. Robson said the girls who formed the guard of honour commented that Miss Williams (now Mrs. Andrews) looked as if she had “been poured into her wedding dress” – not bad for a P.E. teacher!!!!!

(Ex-teacher)

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In year 7, Holly and I got very bored in English so we jumped out of the window and ran away when we thought our teacher wasn’t looking.  She saw, and attempted to climb out after us.  She gave up very quickly.  We thought we were very triumphant until we realised we had forgotten our bags.  We were shamed when we had to go back to get them.  We got put on ‘Yellow Report’ for that.

(Ex-student)

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In 1962 I was given the cane by Wilf Morris for getting a football back which had gone on the newly laid grass.  In 1964 the ‘The Rolling Stones’ were banned from music lessons – ‘The Beatles’ were OK!!

(Ex-student)

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Discovering that putting your phone on silent doesn’t actually silence any alarms.  I discovered that during a concert by a visiting concert pianist in the Main Hall.  Extremely embarrassing!

(Parent Governor)

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Tom Jones moved into a house across the road from the school.  One lunchtime he walked past the school – the whole school ran to the wire fence and watched him go by.  He was shorter than I imagined – perhaps he wasn’t wearing his Cuban heels!

(Ex-student)

-oOo-

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Thamesmead and owe a very special thanks to Mr. Bunting, Mrs. Foster and Miss Feeley for all of the support they gave to me.  I will always have fond memories of my performing arts subjects.  Thank you to Mrs. Robins-Kent and Miss Basten for many happy memories.  I can fairly confidently say that Miss Feeley was the most fun Duke of Edinburgh leader in the history of the world.  Thank you to all at Thamesmead.

(Ex-student)

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My daughter Hannah, now 32, had just started at Thamesmead (1990).  She had fallen in love with Margaret Meacher and the art room, which was like Aladdin’s Cave.  But, sadly, her art teacher in the first year was Paul Jordan.  The first homework assignment he set was to draw an item of household equipment.  Hannah drew my iron.  A week or so later she came home grinning and showed me the mark for homework.  Mr. Jordan had given her an A* for her drawing but added the comment “Well done, Hannah, but I’d advise your mum to get the flex on that iron sorted – it looks dangerous – health and safety!”

(Ex-parent and Governor)

Below are just a very few of the achievements and events that have taken place

at Thamesmead over the years.