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The Twyn School in Caerphilly is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this week, with pupils and staff stepping back in time to 1924.

Preparations for the week of activities began after the Christmas break, explained headteacher Lee Thomas.

Monday February 5, 2024 began like it would on any school day in 1924 for the pupils, who were dressed accordingly in braces and flat caps, or dresses and bonnets.

They shuffled into their lines in the yard, where the Grade II-listed building stood in front of them, virtually untouched since it opened.

A bell was rung and silence fell as Mr Thomas, in his black robe, mortarboard cap, and thick black stick-on moustache, emerged through the doors to the stifled giggles of pupils, parents, and staff alike.

He soon whipped them into shape however, warning that anyone who misbehaved would find themselves writing lines in silence.

Each teacher was then introduced, before the pupils sang a song about the school, which was promptly interrupted by Mr Thomas during the Welsh language verse.

They were then marched silently into their classrooms, before Mr Thomas finally had a chance to speak to Caerphilly Observer. He said: “The first brick was actually laid here in 1922 but the school itself wasn’t finished until 1924. We’ve had a good couple of years to prepare and have a full week planned.”

Mr Thomas, who has been headteacher at the school for a decade, explained how Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday would be spent welcoming former pupils and families to the school to wander the familiar halls and explore the extensive archive room.

He continued: “The children have spent the last five weeks preparing for this. They’ve covered different topics like buildings, clothes, and people of the period.

“The PTA (parent-teacher association), have been a huge help in putting the archive together. We have a room dedicated to each decade that marks the school’s journey through the years.

“Friday should be really fun too. We have a DJ booked in and we’ll be partying like its 1924.”

Asked about how the rest of the day will go, Mr Thomas said: “We’ll get them into assembly now where I’ll lay out the new ‘school rules’ before making them write lines. We’ll then have dinner in silence before some physical training in the yard.

“The kids have actually really enjoyed it I think. It’s one thing to learn about history but to ‘live it’ like this makes it easier to understand.”

Pupil Lily Richards spoke to Caerphilly Observer about the preparations for the week: “We learnt a new song and dressed-up, which is fun.

“We’ve also been interviewing people who used to come to the school as pupils or teachers and we’ve written biographies about them.

Asked about the differences between 1924 and 2024, Lily said: “Definitely the discipline. Back then they didn’t like children, they weren’t allowed to talk and were shouted at all of the time.”

Pupil Roman Doe was among those dressed for the occasion. He said: “We’ve been learning about curling and how it was played, which was fun. It’s been interesting to learn about how things were 100 years ago.”

Eryn Anderson, another pupil, joked: “It was fun and a bit scary seeing Mr Thomas shouting.”