A taste of the 'good old days' (From Penarth Times)

A taste of the 'good old days'

PENARTH youngsters stepped back in time to celebrate their school's 125th anniversary.

The pupils from St Joseph's RC Primary School spent a week celebrating the milestone, which included a visit to St Fagans, where they had a taste of Victorian education.

They also visited a private Penarth house lived in by Liz Stokes which was the school's original chapel and school in High Street, before it moved to Sully Road.

The youngsters also walked all the way from the old school to St Joseph's Church in Wordsworth Avenue, for a special service.

They dressed in Victorian costumes while their brave teachers dressed up as strict teaching staff.

Maurice Flynn, headteacher, said: "It was a brilliant week in which the children did many things to celebrate the anniversary.

"The trip to St Fagans was brilliant and everyone got into the spirit of things by dressing up in costume."

The school was officially opened in April 1877 by Rt Rev John Cuthbert Hedley OSB, then Auxiliary Bishop of Newport and Menevia. It happened after Father Fortunatus Signini, a senior priest in the area, decided that the Catholics needed to build their own church and school.

The first senior headteacher was Olive Ashton, who was appointed in 1900. Her great great nephew, Gareth Mathias, is in the school now in Year Five.

Back in 1900, there were around 100 children on the register.

Recent headteachers include Michael O'Callaghan, who retired in 1977. Maurice Flynn started in 1990.

In total, just six headteachers have run the school in 125 years.