PUPILS usually stood or sat in rows to have their school photographs taken, but not at St Christopher’s.

This class at the junior school in Temple Road, Cowley, Oxford, decided on a different format – clambering on to and around a climbing frame.

The picture, which dates from about 1961, comes from former pupil Chris Cox, who now lives in St Austell, Cornwall.

He writes: “I have been meaning to send it to Memory Lane. It has been a long time coming – it is 54 years old and it’s time for exposure.”

He is in the picture with fellow pupils who include Keith Shirley, David Huish, Kevin Newsham, John Couling, Pauline Ganter, Douglas Walker, Christina McBride, David Andrews, Charlie Wheeler, Susan Smith, Sandra Martin, Tina Reid, Lesley Jacobs, Yvonne Brown, Susan Denton, Susan Baker and a girl called Shirley.

The three boys to the bottom left are Clive Bevan, Michael Simpkins and Roger Payne, while to their left, Pamela Buckle is seen holding Shirley Hockley’s hair.

Generations of Oxford schoolchildren have been educated at St Christopher’s, which opened in about 1877.

The earliest report of school activities in the Oxford Mail archives dates from 1955 when 100 children spent a day in London visiting the Science Museum, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

That year, pupils won three trophies at athletics and swimming, and played host to a friendly jackdaw, who regularly visited one of the classrooms.

St Christopher’s was one of the first Oxford junior schools to organise foreign holidays for pupils.

In 1956, 41 10- and 11-year-olds spent a week in Belgium and Holland, with the owner of the hotel they stayed at in Bruges describing them as “the best behaved party of schoolchildren I have had”.

In the 1950s, there was constant criticism that because of lack of space, some classes had to be held in St James Hall.

The problem wasn’t resolved until the 1960s when extensions costing £30,000 were completed.

The school survived a threat of closure in a 1970s’ economy drive, and in 1982, there were celebrations as pupils and staff left the Victorian premises and moved into modern buildings across the road.

There was more joy in 1996 when more new buildings, including six classrooms, a music room, staff room and headteacher’s office, were opened at a cost of £375,000.

Children buried a time capsule, including an Argos catalogue!

Today the school continues to play an important role in education at Cowley, with more than 400 pupils.

* Where are all the pupils pictured above now? Write and let me know.