I think the boy at front left in the 1919 hockey team picture is my Uncle Tom (Jackson).

I was interested to see the log book from 1919, stating that Mr King joined as headmaster. He was still at the school along with his sister (Miss King) when I started at the school in 1956. These two also taught my Dad in the 1920s.

Pam Gough

Our school building was officially opened in 1965 with many distinguished guests and speakers.  The event had its own programme printed.  Can you figure out which parts of the current building are shown on the front cover?

Thanks to Miss Clare Pollard (North Muskham) for the scan of the programme. 

Between 1984 and 1987, pupils at the school created "Village Trails" for each of the five local villages.  Can you still follow the trails today? Are the landmarks still the same or have some changed? 

Thanks to Mr John Gray (North Muskham) for providing scans of each trail. 

A dramatic school trip

I attended Muskham primary school from 1984 to 1988/89 with my sister Angela Gregson.  We have many photographs but I thought I would send this one of a play we did at Thorsby Hall taken 1986 or 1987. I am not 100% sure of the year. A video was also taken.  I now live in Perth, Australia, along with Angela.
Sandra Antcliff (nee Gregson)
 

Winners of Christmas TSB painting competition

I cant really remember this memory myself that clearly as it was 1988 (When I was 6) but the newspaper article from the Newark Advertiser attached shows what happened. A number of pupils from the Muskham Primary school entered a painting competition and won. Amazingly I still have this TSB account open now and I'm 33.

Simon Temporal

Simone's Muskham Memories

Here are some photographs attached from when I attended Muskham Primary School in the 1980s. 

Football success

I loved my time at the Muskham school. I was lucky enough to be part of the very successful few years of the Muskham School football team where we were winning games and trophies for fun. One year we even entered into the Lincolnshire trophy to gives us more of a challenge. The photo of the football team (below) with our haul of trophies we won I believe is from 1991/92. The main reason for all the victories was mainly down to Mr Lane on the left. He was an excellent football coach.

I remember one time, Mr Lane's had us playing so well that we were beating the Mount school in Newark by double figures by half time. To try and even it up the Mounts PE teacher made just Muskham school play with offsides and linesman to try and even it up. This didn't work and I think it ended around 19 or 20 nil by the end. It was quite common for us to beat teams by double figures. Sadly none of us ever went onto lead successful professional football careers which now in my later years has lead me to believe our success was all down to Mr Lane and how he had us playing and enjoying our football rather than how skilful we were. Although Iain Wolfenden use to score hat tricks for fun.

The picture from back left to right - Richard Buck, Max Whitehead, Douglas Jackson, Andrew Gascoigne

Front left to Right - Mr Lane (Head Coach), Lee Pacey, Adrian Tedcastle, Iain Wolfenden, Ross Chambers, Simon Temporal, Mr Eveleigh (Head Teacher) 

I hope the memories continue to be made and I'm sure the school will make it to its 100th anniversary.

Kind Regards

Simon Temporal

Ben Reed emailed us with his memories of being a Muskham pupil:

Trying to pick the best bits from seven years is difficult, but I remember being incredibly fond of all of the teachers and staff, in my time they were - Miss Davison, Mrs Gilroy, Mrs Guy, Mrs McClelland, Mrs Smith, Mr Lane and Mrs Hancock.

I even have vivid memories of the "dinner ladies" - Mrs Bowen, Mrs Matthews and Mrs Whalley are the ones I remember most. Mrs Bowen was distinctly less tolerant of naughty behaviour, and I remember one distinct occasion where Charles Symcox and myself were caught red-handed by her engaged in some sort of mischief (I think we were throwing stones) and were frog-marched - literally - to stand outside Miss Davies's office for a telling off.

I seem to recall being stood in that little dark nook just off the main hall, hoping Miss Davies would be tied up on the phone call she was on long after the bell rang to mark the end of lunchtime, thus meaning we could quietly return to our classroom, and avoid a telling off in the process.

Alas, the bell never rang, the phone call ended and discipline was duly delivered - it was the worst ten minutes of my life at Muskham.

Trying to list everything that was good about the school would take more time than I have, but other things I remember fondly are:
- Mobbing Mrs McClelland for a go on the state of the art Acorn computer in her class; in particular a prized go on the 'Magic Telephone' computer game.... the computer was in such demand it was on a stand resembling a filing cabinet that had locking doors and the game was guarded like the Crown Jewels.
- What a badge of honour it was to be the first in class to begin a new colour of Ginn Mathematics textbook.
- The wildlife garden and pond down the side of the building. It was a beautiful place, except for the time somebody shoved me into the pond. (I keep listening out for this tale on Simon Mayo's Radio 2 show!)
- Mr Lane's sarcasm - in particular his remark about what "a lovely rocket" my opened-out pair of compasses was as I sat there, one eye closed, tearing it through space!
- Mr Lane's sense of humour.
- Mr Lane's beard.
- School plays, in particular the play about the environment and pollution and getting to act the role of an enormous lobster/crab... the costume was a very elaborate creation by Mrs Guy I believe, and featured a bright orange shell, pincers, the lot! I believe we even performed this play on stage at Newark Palace Theatre.
- Swimming at the old Southwell Leisure Centre on Monday afternoons.
- The residential trip away you were treated to at the end of Year 6, I believe ours was Kingswood.

Happier memories include watching Mrs Stephenson at the piano in morning assembly playing the hymns - I remember thinking how beautifully she played and I've no doubt whatsoever that watching her play is what inspired me to take up playing the piano myself. Sadly, I never got to be in one of Mrs Stephenson's classes... I think at the time of her retirement I was still one of the 'little ones'.

In closing, it is fair to say Muskham holds a very special place not just in my life, but within my family. My late mother, Alison Reed (née Howell) attended the school and was born in 1961, so would likely have been one of the first to attend the current school on it's opening in 1965.

I attended the school between 1988 and 1995, and in 2014 was delighted to find out my son Lawrence Reed had won a place at Muskham, making him the third generation of the family to attend this fine school. He is currently a member of Year 1 and is clearly enjoying his time there.

Happy 50 years Muskham - here's to another fifty...
Ben Reed
 

From left to right:

Doreen Stephenson, Year 6 Teacher     -     Sue Hancock, Year 5 Teacher
Gwyn Davies, Head Teacher                  -     Pam McClelland, Year 1 Teacher
Joan Smith, Deputy Head & Y2 Teacher -    Richard Lane, Year 4 Teacher
Linda Guy, Year 3 Teacher                     -     Gill Matthews, Teaching Assistant

Please find the attached photo from my school days.

Teacher Miss Sybil Davenport (Class 4) .

Top row right to left:

Marie Thorne , Stella Cowling,  Linda Clayton, Jane Coupland, Julie Stubbs, Claire Hibbert, Gail Cross, Vicky Anderson.

Middle row:

Ian Grandorge, Nicola Read, Nicola Patterson, Helen Redfern, Bridgett Boden, Johanne Dawes, Me! Julie Walker, Ronald Jones. Bottom row:

Theresa Bennett, James Gilbertson, Katie Mellors, Louise Thompson, Simon Hallam (sadly deceased), Anthony Shaw, Stephen Holden(?), Neil Partridge.

All will be 53, coming up 54 years old.

I know that quite a few still have family connections with the village or the school, including me ,my grandson attends the school now. My mother Eileen Walker attended North Muskham School at the Old School from 1944 to 1954.

Julie Walker