The old classmates enjoyed swapping stories and catching up at the event, staged at Seckford Hall.

Ex-pupils travelled from all over the country and abroad to attend.

One former Northgate pupil who attended the reunion was Chris Green. The 70-year-old, who admitted he was not usually one for reunions, said: “I think there’s always apprehension with these kinds of things, you’re caught in a time warp but it was delightful to see everyone, they all had different kinds of pathways and it was fascinating.

“It took some time to work out who was who, but it didn’t take long to get reacquainted.” The former friends spent time swapping memories and reminiscing about teachers – and the mischief some of them got up to.

Mr Green said he hoped it wouldn’t be long before the group met up again.

“We all agreed it was well worth it and I’m hoping there will be an opportunity to have another one.”

He said a big thanks was owed to Bob Hall, who organised the event and created a list of contacts for future gatherings.