IT WAS in 1939 - as the winds of war swept through Europe - that a Hampshire school's first intake of pupils walked in nervously through the door.

After 60 years, Sholing Girls School, Southampton continues to go from strength-to-strength.

Yesterday's anniversary festivities took the form of a traditional street party. It was so fitting as a real street party took place on the current site of the school in 1945, the year the war ended.

Sean O'Brien, head of the school's board of governors, told the children: "This is a great day for all of us.

"I wasn't around when this school first got started, but I know what it's like today and it's time for a celebration - for us to let our hair down."

The youngsters enjoyed music, dancing, a juggling display and, of course, ice cream and candy floss.

The party was just the latest in a series of events the Middle Road school has held to mark the anniversary.

Headteacher Nicole Etheridge and Mr O'Brien cut a huge birthday cake to declare the party started. One highlight of the day was the burying of a time-capsule made especially for the school by Vosper Thornycroft.

Lunchtime supervisor Terry Thompson played Marie's Wedding on the bagpipes as he led the procession, decked out in the traditional piper's garb, to the burial site.

Deputy headteacher Fiona Oliver-Watkins said: "We wanted to give people an idea of what life was like in 1999.

"We hope the people at the school in 40 years, when it celebrates its 100th anniversary, will open it up.

The capsule contained school uniforms, a book on the school's diamond anniversary, pictures of staff and children, an aerial picture of the school, and a paperweight containing water from Southampton's very own geo-thermal spring.

City council leader June Bridle, who was a governor at the school for eight years, said: "This is a day the children will remember all their lives.

Mrs Etheridge said: "I've seen a lot of changes in my 20 years here. The number of pupils has doubled to 1,026 and we've had to have three building programmes to accommodate them all.

"And there have been enormous changes with the curriculum, especially with the strong emphasis now on information technology."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.