Celebrations as Regent's Park school comes of age

A Regent's Park school came of age when it celebrated its 21st birthday.

North Bridge House Senior School on Gloucester Avenue was founded in 1987 when only seven pupils enrolled in its first class. Today more than 180 pupils go through the gates at the mixed independent school. Most of them graduate through from the junior school on Netherall Gardens.

One man who welcomed those first pupils into the senior school was Carlos Da Silva, who back in 1987 became its first form teacher.

Mr Silva, now head of photography at North Bridge House said: "It was really interesting to see the first seven students graduate from the school as they had started with me at the very beginning.

"I was invited by the then headteacher to start an art course at the school because art was my background. The department is going very well now."

Mr Da Silva spoke at Saturday's birthday party along with three of the original students - Alex Norman, Michael Hopkins and Emile Herman.

With only seven students in the school, most teachers would yearn to be in the position Mr Silva was in 1987.

"It wasn't that easy," he said. "In those days you tended to do everything. We had some very good staff who were very hardworking. It was fun."

The school opened in Gloucester Gate but after just one year it moved to its current premises just around the corner. Mr Da Silva has stayed with the school throughout its 21 years and witnessed the changes first hand.

"Time changes everything of course and the school has gone from strength to strength. Different headteachers and different staff have come and gone but results have improved," he said.

"There are moments when things don't go to plan when people come and don't stay very long but basically we have always had a stable staff.

"Our ethos has been to keep education as the priority, exams and grades are not necessarily the key thing although they are important. Being respectful and friendly to each other is also important.