Scarborough Sixth Form reunion held 49 years after it opened deemed ‘great success’

The reunion was held at Scarborough Rugby Club, and 57 former pupils of the Sixth Form attended.

Linda Sigdwick, one of the organisers, said: “The reunion at the Rugby Club was a great success on Saturday, we had 57 people and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.”

The reunion was organised by Linda Sidgwick (formerly Beveridge), Margaret Cochrane (formerly Dixon) and Jane Collins (formerly Seymour).

Scarborough Sixth Form will celebrate its 50-year anniversary next year, but the reunion was held this year for pupils from the 1972 school year.

This is because at the time, Scarborough was changing to a co-educational comprehensive model of education.

Linda Sidgwick said: “What made it a particularly unique and significant time for us, was that as we completed our ‘O’ Levels in the summer of 1972 (as they were back then), Scarborough was preparing to make the momentous change to its schooling system in line with the rest of the country the following year, in changing from the grammar school single sex system to the co-educational comprehensive model of education.

“The Scarborough Boys’ High School building was chosen to become the new comprehensive Graham School, along with many of the teachers from the Girls Grammar School.

"The Scarborough Girls’ High School building was to become the new Sixth Form college for the town, with the majority of the teachers coming from the Boys’ High School.

“Consequently in September 1972, for our year group, plans were made for us to spend our lower sixth year at the Boys’ High to have continuity with the same teachers for both the lower and upper sixth academic years.

“So although the Sixth Form College itself will be 50 years old in September 2023, our year group, both boys and girls, feel we have cause to celebrate this year, as we were the forerunners to a co-educational sixth form in Scarborough.”