1963-64: the last First Year at Park Avenue (until the old school had to be reopened as “The Annexe” in 1968).
Until 1972 there was still an ‘Easter intake’ when – depending on age – some pupils moved from primary to secondary after the Easter break (also sometimes referred to as ‘preparatory’). These are numbered 1E upwards here. Other classes will have been at the school since the previous August.
Perhaps because it was – at the time – seen as the closure of the Park Avenue school it looks like all years/classes were photographed (we’ll post other years in due course).
The school log suggests that the photos were taken on 15th May.
Mr Houston’s (headmaster) final log entry for the year, on 4th July 1964, reads:
“To-day the school closed for the session and quitted the old building after a period of eighty-eight years, during which excellent work has been done and a fine and friendly spirit maintained.”
Mr Houston was still headmaster when, from autumn 1968, the building was brought back into use to accommodate around 400 first-year pupils each year.
A couple of the images are not noted with a class number but appear to be S1. Please provide any information if you can.
[{"id":"1696","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/original-school-classrooms\/","name":"original-school-classrooms","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"Original school classrooms.","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 11:07:55","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 11:08:37","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 11:08:37","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":33},"status":"publish","content":"The original school was vacated in 1964 with the move to Duddingston Road, but it had to be reopened in 1968 to accommodate the first"},{"id":"1710","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/into-the-noughties-2000-2002\/","name":"into-the-noughties-2000-2002","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d-2.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"Into the noughties (2000-2002)","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 11:04:37","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 11:04:37","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 11:04:37","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":7},"status":"publish","content":"It looks like white shirt\/blouse images are S5. Blazers on for S6 (show off that gold braid!) Staff \u2013 come as you are."},{"id":"1697","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/the-last-s3-at-park-avenue\/","name":"the-last-s3-at-park-avenue","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-6.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"The Last S3 at Park Avenue","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:55:15","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:56:05","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:56:05","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":14},"status":"publish","content":"1963-64 Third Year. Seven classes from the last year at Park Avenue. As posted previously, the images uploaded are the complete collection that we have"},{"id":"1687","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/world-war-two-memorial\/","name":"world-war-two-memorial","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a-1.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"World War Two Memorial","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:47:08","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:47:08","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:47:08","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":48},"status":"publish","content":"WWII Memorial. In 1949 a committee of staff and former pupils was set up to compile a list of names of FPs who lost their"},{"id":"1664","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/1963-64-4th-year\/","name":"1963-64-4th-year","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"1963-64 \u2013 4th year.","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:44:15","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:45:56","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:45:56","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/\" rel=\"category tag\">150years<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/\" rel=\"category tag\">150years<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":15},"status":"publish","content":"The school leaving age at the time was 15 (it was raised to 16 in 1973). These pupils would have stayed on to sit Scottish"},{"id":"1672","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/an-assortment-of-s6-photos-1985-1990\/","name":"an-assortment-of-s6-photos-1985-1990","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-5-scaled.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"An assortment of S6 photos 1985-1990","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:41:57","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:41:57","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:41:57","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":3},"status":"publish","content":"1985, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990 sixth years."},{"id":"1662","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/the-last-s2-at-park-avenue\/","name":"the-last-s2-at-park-avenue","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-3.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"The Last S2 at Park Avenue","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:33:46","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:57:23","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:57:23","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":5},"status":"publish","content":"1963-64. Here are the second year photos that we have from the last year at Park Avenue."},{"id":"1648","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/1963-64-5th-6th-year\/","name":"1963-64-5th-6th-year","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"1963-64 \u2013 5th & 6th year.","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:26:35","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:28:10","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:28:10","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/\" rel=\"category tag\">150years<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/\" rel=\"category tag\">150years<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":26},"status":"publish","content":"These are the last of the photos we have from 1963-64, taken to mark the last year at Park Avenue. We know that many of"},{"id":"1634","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/arrival-at-the-new-building-august-1964\/","name":"arrival-at-the-new-building-august-1964","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/k.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"Arrival at the new building, August 1964","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:20:47","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:21:18","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:21:18","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":36},"status":"publish","content":"A sample of what would have greeted the pupils from the previous post on their arrival at the new building in August 1964. The entrance"},{"id":"1627","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/a-seventies-assortment\/","name":"a-seventies-assortment","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"A Seventies Assortment.","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:14:06","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:17:33","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:17:33","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/uncategorized\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Uncategorized<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":20},"status":"publish","content":"A bit of a mixture here from original 8 \u00d7 10s that we have found in the archives. The 6th year from 1972 (we posted"},{"id":"1630","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/the-last-first-year-at-park-avenue\/","name":"the-last-first-year-at-park-avenue","thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-1.jpeg","alt":""},"title":"The Last First Year at Park Avenue","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:08:52","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:57:54","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:57:54","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":1,"sec":3},"status":"publish","content":"1963-64: the last First Year at Park Avenue (until the old school had to be reopened as \"The Annexe\" in 1968). Until 1972 there was"},{"id":"1575","price":"","sale":"","sale_percent":"","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/sixth-year-2011-2014\/","name":"sixth-year-2011-2014","thumbnail":{"url":false,"alt":false},"title":"Sixth year 2011 \u2013 2014.","author":{"name":"Portobello High","link":"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/author\/portobellohs\/"},"date":"Aug 5, 2026","dateGMT":"2026-08-05 09:47:29","modifiedDate":"2026-08-05 10:05:44","modifiedDateGMT":"2026-08-05 10:05:44","commentCount":"0","commentStatus":"closed","categories":{"coma":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>","space":"<a href=\"https:\/\/portobellohighschool.org.uk\/category\/150years\/porty-150-archive\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Porty 150 Archive<\/a>"},"taxonomies":{"post_tag":""},"acf_fields":[],"readTime":{"min":0,"sec":3},"status":"publish","content":"Below are a few of our 2011 - 2014 year photos."}]
