Alumni to celebrate Perse Upper anniversary with virtual return to school

1 May 2020

First day of lessons at The Perse Upper in May 1960

Old Perseans will be given the chance to come ‘Back to School’ in a special virtual event to mark the 60th anniversary of the Perse Upper relocating to its current site.

Lessons began at the current Perse Upper School site in Hills Road in May 1960, although it was not until July 1961 that the school was formally opened by Princess Alexandra.

It had been hoped to invite alumni to return to the classroom in person to celebrate. Instead, due to the coronavirus situation, a virtual Back to School Day will take place on Monday (4 May) to mark the occasion.

Fittingly, Old Perseans will have the opportunity to sample the kinds of remote lessons today’s Perse pupils are being taught at home during the lockdown. Lessons for the day will feature some virtual geography fieldwork thanks to Mr Fox and Mr Hicks, maths with Mr Taylor, chemistry with Dr Slatford and games with Mr Mahendra, as well as some lunchtime and extra-curricular activities, including Coding Club.

Perse Senior Development Officer Erin Charles, who has co-ordinated the event, said: “It will be lovely to be able to mark the 60th anniversary of the Upper School being on its current site, even though we cannot all be there in person to celebrate.

“The school has changed so much since 1960 and the fact we are currently operating the timetable virtually is testament to this change. We know that alumni will have read about our virtual school in the news, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to experience it for themselves and see what The Perse is like today.”

For more details on getting involved in Back to School Day, visit Old Persean social network Alumnet here.