Pupils, staff and governors who attended Sutcliffe School in Winsley from 1957-1967 are invited to a reunion in the village next week.

Terry Beckett and Graham Joy, who attended the independent boarding school from 1958-1964, have organised the reunion on September 27 and hope to get as many people together as possible.

Jonn Cammish, the son of headmaster George Cammish, and Ian Fellows, the son of teacher Ron Fellows, should also be attending the reunion at the Seven Stars pub at noon.

Mr Beckett, 63, from Bicester said: “I am hoping to encourage any staff members, governors, ex-pupils who haven’t managed to get in touch and anyone who had involvement with the school.

“I have got back in touch with a few old friends and we have had seven or eight reunions. It has gradually built up, finding people through Friends Reunited and Facebook.”

Dr Joy, 62, from Bath, said: “We have done a bit of research and found some lads from Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Dorset and Gloucestershire.

“It would be good to see the ones who haven’t got in touch because we are probably not going to do a reunion to this extent again.”

The Sutcliffe School was founded in Bath in 1848 and moved to Winsley in the early 1950s when it was known as the Sutcliffe School for Boys, providing education for boys with difficulties.

Today the building is home to Dorothy House Hospice, but the group will have a tour around the premises during the reunion.

“We played cricket, football, tennis, watched films, went swimming, said Mr Beckett. “We were quite privileged, but didn’t realise at the time.

“We had difficult upbringings in difficult ways. It was like a big family.

“Thirty years down the road when we met up, we got on so well. We have loads of stories about things we got up to. It brings old memories back.”

Dr Joy, a psychotherapist, added: “It was a fantastic school and very well run by George Cammish.

“Many of the lads have been amazingly successful in their fields. Had they not had the opportunity that George and his wife created, who knows what would have happened.

“I came from a large family of 17 kids. We were stigmatised because of that.

“The school gave me self belief and confidence to go on.”

To go to the reunion contact Mr Beckett on 01869 324966 or at becktr2@ aol.com