It was like stepping into a time warp at Park Gate School when pupils and staff dressed in 70s gear.
Back to the '70s at Park Gate school
Peace and love were the messages spread as everyone marked the school’s 40th anniversary.
Many dressed as hippies, wearing flower-power costumes and necklaces featuring the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) peace symbol.
Others stood tall with huge platform boots and flares – with look-a-likes including Elvis and John Travolta.
Huge Afro wigs and 70s moustaches came back in fashion for the day at the school in Northmore Road as the schoolboys and male teachers strutted into class.
Clashing with the mellow and disco vibe were the punks who stood out in their leather jackets, colourful Mohawk hair-styles and spiked bracelets with ready-to-fight attitude.
And not forgetting some famous characters of the era, pupils dressed as troopers from Star Wars, Princess Leia, gangster Bugsy Malone and cartoon adventurers Mr Benn and Wacky Racer Penelope Pitstop.
Disco dad Alex Sharpe and hippie son Robert, 11
The teachers went all out too, such as punk Jeanette Randell who spiked her hair, wore leathers and chains and topped it off with black lipstick. Meanwhile Kirsten Lowe dressed as her favourite television character Florence from The Magic Roundabout.
It was particularly exciting for teacher Carole Perrott and trainee teacher assistant Alex Sharpe who attended Park Gate themselves as youngsters.
Mr Sharpe, who dressed as Saturday Night Fever hunk John Travolta, took a career change after 10 years working in sales and is training at college and working two days at the school to be a teacher’s assistant. He showed the school a photo taken in the 70s of him and classmates outside the assembly hall.
He said: “Just coming back after all these years everything seems so small – the chairs are so small.
“It’s such a lovely school and has a lovely feel to it. I came here, my wife came here and our son Robert has come here. He’s in Year 6 now about to move on.”
Watch out for these punks!
The celebrations continued into the afternoon where they watched children’s television shows and played games from the 70s, such as wink murder, musical chairs and musical statues and pass the balloon.
Head teacher Rebecca Kingsland, who donned platform boots and a t-shirt with a space hopper on it, has planned a series of events for the summer term to mark the 40th anniversary, including inviting former pupils and staff in.
“The children were very keen to dress up,” she said. “They researched what people wore in the 70s. As always the parents have been fantastically supportive and the children look wonderful.
“With a 40th birthday it seemed a good reason to have a celebration. The 70s was such a glamorous decade.”
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