School celebrates 100 years with dunce caps and England footballer (From Wandsworth Guardian)
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School celebrates 100 years with dunce caps and England footballer
7:00am Friday 2nd November 2012 in News By Omar Oakes
Links School Head Teacher, Mrs Sue Taylor, with past pupil and former England footballer, Chris Powell, now manager of Charlton Athletic FC
A former England footballer came back to his roots last week for his old primary school’s 100th anniversary.
Chris Powell was one of 200 past pupils, teachers and others who attended last week’s Centenary Celebration Day at Links Primary School, Tooting - one of Merton’s oldest schools.
Now the manager of Charlton Athletic FC, he attended Links School from 1975 to 1979, before attending Cranmer Middle School, Mitcham and Raynes Park High School.
Mr Powell, who now lives in Banstead, Surrey, said: “It’s good to be back. There are a lot of memories here. My education and sporting career started at Links. I’m proud to be here among people who love the school the same as me.”
“I keep in touch with four or five guys that went to school here and I drive past Links sometimes with my kids. My love of football started at this school. We had a good team.”
Founded in 1912, Links School was originally opened to educate children up to 12 years old which was the official minimum school leaving age at the time.
Pupils and many of the teachers and school staff were dressed in Edwardian costume for the day, which included drills in the playground and the novelty of dunce caps in class.
Older former pupils included Dorothy Mortimore, a former Governor of the school, who attended during the Second World War when there were air raid shelters in the playground.
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