IT HAS been 75 years since Ken Lansbury last set foot in his old East Oxford secondary school.

But according to the 90 year old, it has not changed all that much.

In 1934, Mr Lansbury was one of the first pupils to be enrolled at the Southfield Grammar School, in Glanville Road, which is now Oxford Community School.

At the age of 14 he was among hundreds of boys to be sent to the new school from the old Oxford Municipal Community School, in St Ebbes, which was knocked down and was on the site of Westgate Shopping Centre.

Mr Lansbury, of Sutton Courtenay, joined a small group of ex-pupils from the 1950s who visited the school at the weekend to see what has changed.

Mr Lansbury, who used to own Broadribbs Bike Shop in New Inn Hall Street, next to the old Oxford Mail offices, said: “Some of the original buildings were still there and looked very familiar.

“I gather it is due for a redevelopment so maybe that will explain it.

“It was good to go back and see it all.”

He said the visit brought back memories of a stricter time. He added “When I was at school teachers looked like teachers with mortar boards, canes and cloaks.

“But I have seen them wearing open collars and jeans these days.

“I think I prefer the older style.“ In September the Oxford Mail reported on the 60th anniversary reunion of classmates from the 1950 intake of the Southfield Grammar School.

The small school only had 350 pupils and the intake for 1950 was just 60.

But almost half of the class made it back to the city, some from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, to catch up with their old classmates at The Bar at Jesus College for the reunion.

The trip to the school on Saturday was organised by Ray Gould, 71, from Stonesfield, near Witney, who also organised the reunion.

He said: “Lots of memories came flooding back and it was interesting to see the old classrooms. Many of us remembered the old chemistry teacher called Mr Cross. And he definitely lived up to his name.

“It was OK if you were good at chemistry, but he would rap us across the knuckles if we got something wrong.

“We would queue outside the classroom and he would rap his ruler on the desk as a warning to us.

“Teachers were much stricter then!”