STAFF and students at a Port Glasgow secondary bid a fond farewell to their school building after more than 30 years of happy memories.

Everyone at St Stephen’s High packed up the last of their belongings yesterday ahead of the move to the new £44 million Port Glasgow Community Campus next week.

The bell rang for the final time on Friday afternoon as teachers and pupils said goodbye to the Southfield Avenue building, which has been the secondary’s home since the 1970s.

It was an emotional moment as everyone left for the final time with plenty of happy memories.

Depute head teacher Michael Oswald, who has taught in St Stephen’s since 1981, said he was sad to be leaving but that it is time to go.

Mr Oswald said: “The building has served its purpose well.

“I started in 33 years ago and that was the first year the whole school came to the site and we have been here until this time.

“There’s been a lot of happy memories but we are really looking forward to moving into the new school — the facilities are incredible.” The long-serving English teacher also spoke of some of his most cherished memories.

He said: “The school’s 50th anniversary was special and the Pope’s visit to Scotland in ‘82 was important as the whole school went to see him.” St Stephen’s head teacher Stephen Parsons is also excited to get started in the shared campus on Monday, with the pupils’ first day Thursday.

But he too recalled lots of important moments in the school’s history at Southfield Avenue.

He said: “St Stephen’s was the first school in Scotland to be involved in a pilot for supported study. It had the first behaviour support unit — Fisher House, and was the first school to end the belt.” It was also a poignant day for everyone at Port Glasgow High who also left their temporary Southfield Avenue home, which they have been sharing with St Stephen’s since 2011 while the schools’ new ‘super campus’ was being built.

But Port High were also the original tenants of the school’s ‘B’ block, built in ‘58, before moving up to Slaemuir Avenue in ‘71.

Back then a section of St Stephen’s moved from the former Highholm Primary site up the hill to the now vacant school building.

A new block was later built to accommodate St Stephen’s as a fully-fledged comprehensive school.

The buildings are linked by the school’s famous ‘link corridor’.

Mr Parsons was joined by Mr Oswald, his wife Yvonne Oswald, principal teacher of home economics and the last-remaining member of staff to have taught in the school’s former Highholm base, and depute head teacher Jim Cattigan.

They carried the famous school plaque out ahead of the move to the shared campus.