A SCHOOL in North Oxford celebrated 120 years by inviting former pupils to celebrate the special occasion.

Wychwood School, in Banbury Road, welcomed hundreds of its ‘old girls’ – aged between 19 and 88 – as they reflected on the school’s history and how it has developed over the years.

Headteacher Andrea Johnson said that, while the school had changed over the past century, its core values are the same as when it first opened its doors.

She said: “It feels fantastic marking 120 years. We’re unusual as a small secondary girls’ school in Oxford that still has boarding, but it’s wonderful we’re still here and still doing what we’ve always believed we should be doing.

“We’ve had a lot of the old girls come back in to mark the occasion, and the majority have commented that the place is very different but very much the same.

"We do very different things – but the ethos hasn’t changed.”

The school’s old girls enjoyed re-uniting with each other for the event on June 24 and passing on life lessons to current students.

A play written especially for the occasion to capture the spirit of the institution was performed for pupils old and new.

Ms Johnson said the values the school keeps at its heart – the same as the values it opened with 120 years ago – were particularly important in the current political climate.

She said: “There are distinctions between right and wrong and good and bad. People aren’t disposable.

"These things still stand – especially in the world we live in now.

"It really helps to have a strong ethos and values.

“Today you have things changing overnight. After the election, for example, we still have a Conservative Government but the manifesto has been largely junked and changed.

"You have Donald Trump saying one thing one day and another the next.

“In the long run, if you behave like that you end up with a complicated and difficult life.

"We’re truly committed to producing young people with integrity – and teaching them to know what matters in their lives.”

Wychwood School was opened with just two girls in 1897.

The school will continue to celebrate the anniversary with a range of activities.

Each year group has celebrated the birthday in its own way, with some making short films and others creating monologues.