An open day was held for past and present pupils and staff to mark the end of 68 years of teaching as Walton Community School is replaced by the £26 million Voyager School.

Among the visitors was a 93-year-old woman who was at the original school before Walton was built.

Visitors also flew in from America and Australia to catch a final glimpse of the school in Mountsteven Avenue, Peterborough.

Lyndon Whittaker (63) from Oakham was at the school in the 1950s.

He said: "I remember how we used to wear fluorescent socks and the deputy head hated it.

"He would call us over and say 'Boy what are those, they are not socks' and make us go and change them."

Andy Maplethorpe (39) from Gunthorpe left the school in 1985.

He said: "Normally, if I have friends over and I am showing them round Peterborough I say – 'that's my old school'. But I won't be able to do that anymore."

Claire Maybank (20) from Werrington, was at the school from 1988 to 2003.

She said: "I will be sad to see the school knocked down as in future when I come here it will just be a field or whatever they decide to build on it.

"It certainly won't be the same."

Claire also worked as a teaching assistant at the school for a year.

She added: "I have a lot of good memories. Because Walton is such a community-minded area, a lot of people came to see what the school looks like.

"There are so many different memories here for so many different people."

Visitors were given guided tours of the school while a commemorative video was shown in the main hall.

Archive materials were also on display and the afternoon was wrapped up when a Spitfire carried out a flypast.

A time capsule was dug up by former pupil Claire Keron who had originally helped to bury it in 1985.

Inside was a selection of newspapers, some photographs, pupils' work and an old school uniform.

Huw Thomas, who has been a teacher at Walton for 37 years and the longest serving member of staff said: "Everyone had a fantastic time sharing memories and touring the school."

Headteacher John Catton has already started working part-time in his new role as headteacher at Orton Longueville School in the city.

He said: "The past three years at Walton have been the best of my working life.

"I am delighted that so many people made a special effort to come to the open day."

Walton factfile

• The school opened in 1939, but was further developed in a number of different phases.


• Three classrooms were extended in the late 1950s.


• In 1962 the main hall, two storey classrooms and science labs were built.


• In 1970 a large number of rooms were added including a dance theatre and home economics centre.


• The sixth form was built in the late 1970s.


• A drama and design technology block was built in the 1990s.