These were some of the staff and pupils at the Oxford Central Girls’ School in 1949.

Generations of girls were taught at the school in New Inn Hall Street, whose history goes back to the 18th century. The picture above is part of one of those panoramic photographs that were popular at many schools in the post-war period.

The pupils and staff would line up in rows and the camera would whizz from one side to the other, capturing everyone in one lengthy photograph.

At some schools, a favourite wheeze was for one pupil to stand at one end as the camera started to roll, then dash around the back to have his picture taken at the other end.

But we doubt that was the case at the Central Girls’ School, where such unladylike behaviour was unlikely to be tolerated. A strict code of discipline applied to the girls, both in and out of school, as former pupils have revealed in previous Memory Lane stories. They told how they were banned from sunbathing during their lunch breaks, told to stay indoors at home on four nights a week to do homework, banned from shops when in school uniform and forbidden to scream on school premises.

Girls were put into one of four ‘houses’ – ‘O’ ‘C’ ‘G’ and ‘S’ after the school’s initials – and every year, battled to get the most house points and beat their rivals. Members of the houses that fell behind were often rebuked by their teachers.

In January 1947, S House was joint bottom with G with 68 points, behind O with 75 and C with 85.

The S House bulletin read: “This means that we are already behind and this fact must be remedied. Forms to try particularly hard are 1A and 4A. They must improve on their poor totals.

“At a recent meeting, the committee decided that points were most easily gained for good work (especially English), not talking, carrying milk crates and being generally helpful. Points are mainly lost for talking and carelessness. This must stop. S must be made to stand for swift service and sincerity and not for sleepiness and slovenliness.”

The school’s roots go back to 1797 when the Rev James Hinton, of New Road Baptist Church, founded four Sunday and day schools in different parts of Oxford, one of which was destined to become the girls’ school.

By 1812, the four schools had become one mixed school of 50 boys and 50 girls, known as the United Charity and Sunday Schools, based in Gloucester Green.

A new school was built in Pensons Gardens, St Ebbe’s. It ceased to cater for boys, except on Sundays, in 1835.

It later became known as the Oxford Girls’ British School, designed to train children to develop into “intelligent and affectionate daughters, sisters, wives and mothers and honest, true-hearted, pious and reverent servants of God”.

In 1882, the school moved to larger premises in New Inn Hall Street. It survived until 1959 when it moved to Gipsy Lane, Headington, and became Cheney Girls’ Grammar School.

The new name did not go down well.

A petition signed by 500 old girls called on the city council to name the school Chadwick Grammar School, after Louise Chadwick, headmistress for 36 years, but to no avail.

The picture above was sent in by David Brown, of Jordan Hill, Oxford, who bought it in a local charity shop. Further sections of the picture will be published soon.

Do you recognise any teachers and pupils in the picture? Any more memories of the school to share with readers? Write and let me know.