Former pupils of a Dagenham secondary school have looked back on their time there in a new book.
Alumni of Dagenham County High School have published a book celebrating their school days in the 1960s.
Titled Class Act – Tales from the one and only grammar school in Dagenham, it reflects on their experiences, the teachers who shaped them, and the paths they later followed.
Pupils commuted daily from places such as Romford, Gidea Park, Chadwell Heath, Barking and Ilford to the school, according to co-author Ian Pannell.
The book captures what it was like to attend the grammar school during a transformative decade.
Read more
'Traffic impacts' remain in Romford after burst water main fixed at busy roundabout
Underpass submerged after major Romford flooding seen in drone shots
Ian Pannell claimed it is "the first book to capture what it was like to attend a grammar school in the heady days of the Swinging Sixties. The good, the bad and the ugly."
Dagenham County High, located in Parsloes Avenue, lost its identity in 1971 when the school merged with Beverley Boys and Halbutt Street Girls to form Parsloes Manor Comprehensive, which in turn became The Sydney Russell School.
A book launch was held at The Harrow pub in Hornchurch on May 20.
The event was attended by former pupils and guests.
The classmates—now in their seventies—began at the school in 1964 and continue to meet regularly.
All royalties will be donated to Alzheimer’s charities in honour of the group’s former teacher Hilary Wood.
What are your memories of school? Let us know in the comments.
Share