FOR some of Oxford’s ancient colleges, 50 years is hardly a time span worth emptying the wine cellar to celebrate.

But half a century is a long time in the existence of an Oxford state school.

Being able to mark a 50th birthday while on the crest of a wave of success, as a school recognised nationally for all the right reasons, is a rarity indeed in this city.

Next week, Cherwell School will be able to host such a happy jubilee, having grown from a small school hardly known outside the city to one of Oxfordshire’s largest and best.

Nor can many state secondary schools in the city claim such longevity. Since Cherwell School opened its doors in September 1963, with just 323 pupils, 12 teachers, one full-time secretary, a part-time administrative assistant and a caretaker, three schools have closed (Milham Ford, Cowley St John and Redefield).

Three more, perhaps with little reluctance to shake off their pasts, have changed their names (The Oxford Academy from Peers; Oxford Spires from Oxford School; and St Gregory the Great from St Augustine’s).

Only two – Cherwell and Cheney – have continued to evolve on the same site, keeping their original names.

Cherwell will be hosting a Jubilee Festival at the school on Marston Ferry Road on Saturday, July 13 for pupils, parents, alumni and the local community, with tours, speeches, performances and a funfair.

But the anniversary is also being marked with the publication of a new book: The Cherwell School, The First Fifty Years (Shire Publications £7.99).

Its author, Martin Roberts, is doubly qualified to chart the remarkable evolution of the school, which today has over 1,800 pupils and 139 teachers.

Mr Roberts, 71, of Frenchay Road, north Oxford, was head of the school from 1981 to 2002. And in addition to writing an earlier book on Cherwell’s 40th anniversary, he also penned one marking the end of Oxford’s first comprehensive school, Peers, in 2008, closed to be replaced by Oxford’s first academy.

Heavily oversubscribed every year, Cherwell is in the Ofsted “outstanding” category, this year becoming one of the three Oxfordshire schools named as Teaching Schools, to share expertise across the county.

But when the school gates first opened at Cherwell as a secondary modern to cater for the 75 per cent of the local population who failed the 11 plus, such success could not be imagined.

Mr Roberts became headteacher at the age of 39. He recalls: “Cherwell was a hotch-potch of poorly built buildings, some in a bad state of repair, with structural beams in the main teaching block rotting and rooves leaking. Four temporary classrooms catered for extra pupil numbers.

“In the early 1980s there were four main challenges facing the school: falling school rolls, funding cuts, the state of the buildings and improving the school’s reputation.”

With Oxfordshire LEA agreeing that six Oxford schools had to be reduced to five, Mr Roberts frankly admits that he feared his new school might be the one selected for closure.

Recognising that gaining entry to top universities was the important criterion in north Oxford for judging a school, he gave priority to improving A-level results, rarely appointing any new teacher who could not teach A-levels confidently. By 1987 Cherwell was achieving the best exam results in the city.

He said: “It has far more youngsters who have above average ability. Once we had won the confidence of the local community the school went from strength to strength.

“But there is a major challenge for Cherwell. It is in the heart of this extraordinarily advantaged community but there are pockets of disadvantage too, in Cutteslowe and Wolvercote. It is important to make sure that Cherwell is viewed as the school for them too.”

He is delighted that Cherwell is now formally linked to Cutteslowe Primary School.

However, the greatest upheaval in the school’s history occurred only a decade ago, when it changed from an upper school to a secondary school, for children aged 11 to 18. This resulted from the controversial reorganisation of the city’s schools from three to two tiers, with the closure of middle schools.

The policy was to face fierce opposition. Cherwell was plunged into the centre of the dispute, with the outcome having major consequences. The school ended up taking over the Frideswide site across Marston Ferry Road, to almost double in size.

On April 1 last year, Cherwell, whose current head is Paul James, freed itself from LEA control, when it became an Academy school, now managed by The Cherwell School Academy Trust.

Mr Roberts added “The school’s roots are so entrenched in north Oxford that when another 50 years have passed, unless some unforeseeable catastrophe occurs, a famous school will be thriving here in 2063.”

FAMOUS CHERWELLIANS

Yasmin Le Bon, then known as Yasmin Parvaneh model and wife of Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon.

Rachel Seiffert, the novelist

Hannah England, World Championship 1500m silver medallist.

Rupert Friend, actor.

Ramin Gray, playwright.

Orlando Higginbottom, also known as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Electro Producer and DJ.

Adam Hunt, chess International Master.

Tom Poster, pianist and winner of the keyboard section of BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2000.

Tom Penny, professional skateboarder.