I’ve been sorting through some old photos and came across these school pictures of me. It struck me that it’s exactly 40 years since I started school. I can’t recall the exact date — they used phased starts back then based on age. As an August baby I remember climbing the little steps into Miss Barbara’s class and finding everyone else already seated. Even then I felt the awkwardness of not knowing what to do and not knowing anyone — the joys of an August birthday. It was a happy time though, and I still see friends from those days. Looking through the photos made me reflect on how much school life has changed over the last four decades.
Uniform
When I was in primary school we didn’t have a uniform. The photos show a variety of outfits I wore. Toward the end of my time there, there were rumours about introducing one. That made the move from primary to high school feel much bigger — suddenly the uniform made everything more formal. As a parent now, I cringe at the daily task of deciding what to dress the kids in.
Lunchtimes
We didn’t eat lunch on the school premises. The canteen was a 10–15 minute walk away, across a busy crossing and up a main road. It’s surprising we learned anything given the time spent walking there and back.
Lunches also came with the feared School Dinner Inspectors. They probably visited only once a year, but it felt more frequent. Whatever was on the menu that day, you knew you couldn’t leave a crumb on your plate if they were present — polite eating turned into near force-feeding.
Playgrounds
One memory that recently came back to me was that boys and girls had separate playgrounds; the two groups were not supposed to mix. Boys were allowed footballs while it was assumed girls wouldn’t be interested. We played games like Hot Peas & Cold Onions and Tic — it was the 1970s, so take it with a smile.
There was no rubber matting or wooden climbing frames — just hard concrete. Health and safety was barely on the horizon.
The School Dog
We had two headteachers, one for infants and one for juniors, since we were in separate buildings. The infant headteacher brought her dog to school daily — a calm black Labrador that sat under her desk. I didn’t see the dog much, but I knew it was there, which perhaps meant I didn’t visit the head’s office often!
Smoking
My Year 4 teacher smoked constantly. His pipe was legendary and he often puffed away during afternoon lessons. If you were called to sit on his knee, you’d get a lungful. Looking back, it’s shocking, but thankfully some things have changed.
Parties
Birthday parties were simple affairs — house parties with your mum as the entertainer and Pass the Parcel as the highlight. Not every layer had a sweet or prize, and newspaper was the usual wrapping. For six-year-olds, party outfits were often the same: the First Communion dress worn after the May procession.
There were no SATs or Ofsted visits in those days, and league tables were unheard of. You attended the local school and moving areas for a better school would have been laughed at. Most of us walked to and from school, which wasn’t always pleasant in the depths of winter.
Some things haven’t changed: new high school students still have to back their exercise books, assemblies remain a place for show-and-tell, and the school nativity is still the highlight of the school year. What are your favourite school memories, and how has school life changed since you were there?