A BLACKBURN primary school is celebrating its 60th birthday on Friday.

Mass at St Mary and St Joseph's RC School at 1.15pm will be followed by afternoon tea and all past pupils are invited.

Pupils have been busy baking cakes and making bunting, which will be hung around the school.

St Mary's was founded in 1878, in Dean Street, Islington after St Mary's RC Church was established in 1859 - the gothic edifice was demolished in 1987.

The junior school was then rebuilt in Bennington Street in 1956, with Bishop Berk and MP Barbara Castle performing the opening ceremony - the infants, which has since been demolished, had been opened in 1952.

It forged links with St Joseph's Church and to strengthen its ties the school became St Mary and St Joseph's in 1989.

Much of its history is set out in handwritten log books, which tell of its day to day life through the decades.

Bygones has had a peep in one of them, which follow the pupils and teachers during both the First and Second World Wars.

In December 1913 the pupils were given oral exams, while the top three classes wrote papers in geography, history, grammar, nature knowledge and hygiene - the chief faults in papers were later talked over with children.

In the summer of 1914, special lessons were given in the use of the sewing machine, patching, darning and all other kinds of mending, while a cricket set was purchased for Standard I who were taught the game during physical exercise.

The only mention of the war in the log was made in 1915, when it was noted illustrations of great men engaged in the war were hung in all the classrooms.

Much is made of very poor attendance at school, with sore eyes, measles, mumps and bad weather, leading to falling classroom numbers,

Medical inspections by the doctor and nurse also led to a great many children being excluded from lessons.

In 1915 pupils heard about Lord Nelson and Trafalgar to mark the centenary of the battle, while the tri-centenary of Shakespeare was marked by songs, old English games and the acting of scenes from four of his plays.

As the Great War raged on in 1918, classes were taken to Pleasington for rambles for lessons about autumn.

When peace finally arrived the school was closed for a week for parades.

Fast forward to 1939 and the school was closed for a week as another world war began and on return the pupils underwent air raid practise and gas mask drill, while the cellar was designated as a shelter for infants - it was swept and the exit window criss crossed with gummed paper.

Pupils had PE in the street since the barracks hall and yard were no longer available.

In April 1943, the school was closed for an afternoon at the request of the mayor to give pupils the chance to attend the wings for victory children's ball.

In 1944, a school canteen opened in All Saints school and 68 children and five teachers ate there on the first day, There was another school holiday to mark the golden jubilee of Canon Bousfield and on May 8, 1945 the pupils had another week off for victory celebrations as peace came once more.