A POOLE school which opened on the same day that World War Two broke out celebrated its 75th anniversary with a wartime-themed street party.

Buckholme Towers, an independent school for children aged from three to 11, marked the event on Friday, October 10.

The day began with a special assembly in which one class acted out the story of the evacuees, then followed the party in the afternoon with traditional games like tin can alley with boiled sweets for prizes, maypole dancing, a medley of wartime songs from the choir, all rounded off by the cutting of the cake by the oldest and youngest pupils.

Children all dressed as evacuees, staff and parents donning wartime gear, and a WWII truck, Jeep and motorbike visited for the afternoon. Among the guests at the Commercial Road school were grandparents, some of whom had been pupils at the school themselves.

The school was founded in 1939 by Dorothy Murray at her home a few streets away, starting out with just a handful of pupils, including her two children. Her daughter Ruth Goulden, one of the first pupils, is now a school trustee.

Buckholme Towers moved to the current site some 50 years ago and now has more than 100 pupils. A devastating fire ripped through the building in March last year, but the school rose phoenix-like from the ashes – returning to the rebuilt premises, refurbished with high-tech facilities, in time to celebrate its 75th birthday.

Head master Iain Robertson said the school had a special connection with wartime history thanks to its beginnings at the outbreak of war.

“It really brings it to life for them,” he added. “We have gone from strength to strength over the years. We are so much part of the local community.

“Our traditional values have always been there since day one and we will continue for the next 75 years, celebrating the children’s success.”