PREPARATIONS are well under way for a big party at a York secondary school to celebrate its golden jubilee in September.

Fulford School turns 50 in the autumn, and to celebrate the school is organising a Fulfifty Festival on September 28. There are to be guided tours of the school, a barbecue and photo displays of 50 years of school life as well as a guestbook to sign.

Sue Keeble, school business manager, said they would really like former pupils and staff to get in touch with their memories, memorabilia and old photos from down the decades.

She said: “People have already been in touch, but we want more to come forward. One man said he was number seven on the first-ever intake list of pupils. It’s instances such as that which we would like to hear about, to build up a picture decade by decade of what school life was like. If we could get photos from each year, that would be fantastic.

“We are meeting this week to firm up more ideas on Fulfifty so there will be more information in the coming weeks and months.”

As The Press reported on Tuesday, September marks a new era for the school as new head teacher Lorna Savage takes charge as the school’s first woman head and the fifth head in its history.

Ms Savage has taught at the school, which has 1,354 pupils, since 1996 under various guises and since 2007, she has been associate head teacher.

The current head teacher Steve Smith took over in September 2001 from Keith Hayton, who had been at the school for nearly 23 years.

Mr Smith retires at the end of the summer term and Ms Savage will take over on September 1.

Anyone wanting to make a contribution to the 50th anniversary celebrations should contact the school by email at fulfiftyfestival@fulford.york.sch.uk and there is a Facebook page facebook.com/FulFiftyFestival for people to register their interest.