ALL smiles from these pupils of St Simon and Judes School, Rishton Lane, Great Lever (now the Anglers' Club) in 1948.

It has been sent to me by Mrs Margaret Ash (nee Barlow), of Sutton Road, Deane, who can be seen, aged 11, on the left of the front row.

"The picture was taken in the girls' yard," she tells me, "just before most of them went on to Bolton Technical College, as they had passed what was then their 11 Plus exam.

"I didn't pass, but stayed on to become head girl. In those days we went to school at five, and stayed at the same school until we were 15 unless we passed the exam.

"All my five sisters and two brothers went to St Simon and Judes. It was a fantastic school; it closed in September, 1952."

She names the pupils shown as Keith Baron, Roy Schofield, Kevin Livesey, Brian Vickers, Geoffrey Livesey, Brian Cannon, Donald Walker, Brian Harrison, Neville Clough, Joe Hamer, Alfred Ward, David Ramsbottom, Kevin Fielding, Lawrence Jones, Ann Elliot, Vera Morris, Brenda Howarth, Pat Lever, Keith Duxbury, Tommy Donald, Edward Jones, John Counsill, Margaret Barlow, Marlene Fletcher, Brenda Ashton, Eileen Hardman, Margaret Daniels, Doris Pickles, Betty Leather, Joan Martin, Jane Gannon. Another member of the class, Sylvia Luke, is not shown.