HAVERIGG School had been a hive of activity in 1996 with pupils achieving success in a variety of fields.

The school’s drama club put on a production about a Victorian warehouse at the Palladium over Easter. The play was only intended for parents and friends, but it exceeded expectations by drawing crowds who packed the building.

The school had also beaten off stiff competition from Black Combe and St James’ schools to win the annual swimming gala.

And it had created a new computer bank for those interested in new technology.

The Windcluster wind power company had donated a CD Rom, which the school was hoping would soon be networked with its other computers.

Young pupils at Haverigg School had a new arrival in the autumn term in 1997 with a new teacher joining the school.

Nicola Edmett, 27, who formerly worked at a large primary school in Hackney, had taken over the reception and year one class at Haverigg.

She said “All the staff and parents are really friendly and supportive and the children are lovely. It’s a nice area and it’s a big change from working in an inner-city school.

“It was very different at the last school, with over 400 pupils plus the nursery. The locality was completely different as it was a built-up area and a lot of the children lived in blocks of flats and did not have gardens.

“It was a multi-cultured school and I had 18 children of different nationalities in my last class a lot of the parents could not speak English.

"I really liked it there and I still keep in touch with some of the parents."

Haverigg School staff were planning to set up a liaison with Jubilee Primary School in Hackney.

Pupils at the school took part in their annual sports during the summer term in 1998.

Watched by parents and friends, pupils competed in a number of track and field events, including a challenging obstacle race.