Figure 1.--This 1960 photograph shows Form 1D at HGS. The boys wear blazers with both short and long trousers while the girls wear sweaters and gym slips. |
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The Hayes Grammar School appears to have been one of the few such schools that was coeducational in the 1950s. This was unsusual as most grammar schools were single gender schools. The full name was the Hayes County Grammar School. It was a standard grammar school with a selective progaram. New students had r=to do well on the 11+ exam. The school still exists, but became a comprehensive in 1974/75, with the new name Hayes Manor School. When it was a grammar school, the boys wore blazers with colored piping. The girls wore sweaters. The available image from 1960 shows the uniform little changed from the 1950s. One difference was that some of the Form 1 boys had begun to wear long pants. Usually once made optional, the boys began wearing lon pants.
Form 1 is the new pupils, the youngest group. They would be 11-12 years olds, but as the school photograsph is usually taken toward the end of the year, these children are probably mostly 12 years old. The fact that they are Form "D" probably means that they are not the academically top form. Grammar schools often streamed the different forms. A student at the time in Form 1D tells us that while the school did stream students, this was not the case for the first year First Form. "You may like to correct the assumption that those in the "D" class at Hayes County Grammar School were not the brightest. In fact, the school assumed that, because all the pupils had passed the 11+ exam to get to the grammar school, they were all of a similar ability. They therefore took the initial of their form tutor in the first year. Thereafter they were streamed into the A, B or C system. Mr Divett was the form tutor for class 1D." [Rogers]
An examination of the photograph provides some details about the uniform regulations at the school. The students wear boys wear blazers with colored piping. The girls wear sweaters. The available image from 1960 shows that some of the boys had begun wearing long trousers. Apparently the type of pants had been made optional. The fact that all the students are wearing the full uniform suggests that the regulations were strictly enforced.
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Caps were often compulsory at grammar schools in the 1950s, except for the older boys. Many schools were by the 1950s beginning to relack enforcement of the cap rule. I'm not sure what the rule was at the Hayes Grammar School in 1960. The pupils would of course not wear their caps for the photograph. The fact that boys were allowed to wear long trousers suggests that they probably dis not have to wear caps. I'm not sure what kind of cap the girls would have worn.
The boys wear standard blazers with the school crest. The blazers appear to be grey with colored piping, probably the same color as the ties. Many prep schools had brightly colored blazers, but this was less common at grammar schools. Thus while it is difficult to be sure with a black and white photograph, probablly the blazers were grey. Interestingly only the boys wear them.
All of the pupils, both the girls and the boys wear the same solid-colored tie. I'm not sure what color it would have been. The ties appear to be the only garment worn by both the boys and girls.
It is unclear what kind of shirts the boys wear. For special occasions like the school photograph, the boys may haveworn white shirts. For daily wear, grey shirts were more common.
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Some of the boys are probably wearing grey jumpers (sweaters)m, but as their blazers are buttoned up, we do not know anything about them. None of the girls are wearing jumpers. That is to say jumpers in the British sence of swaters. The American term for gym slip is 'jumper'.
The girls wear standard school gym slips as their school uniform. The gym slip was the standard girl's uniform at the time and is still worn in England, but mostly at private schools. We at fiorst thought they were wearing sweaters, but as best we can tell they are all wearing gym slips.
Although most of the boys are in the back row, most of the boys at the left and right wear short trousers--in fact three out of the four boys. This suggests that many of the other boys also wear shorts as well. The number of boys wearing longs nmay have been higher in the back row as the taller boys were often put there for school phptographs. It was common in the 1950s for junior boys to wear shorts. Some schools required it. At other schools it was kept up to the parents. HBC does not know what the rule was at HGS, but the fact that most of the boys seem to be wearing shorts suggests that it may have been a school rule for the Form 1 boys at the beginning of the year. Perhaps the rule had just been changed. It is a bit difficult to tell as two of the three boys wearing shorts are sitting down, but the shorts that the boys are wearing appear to be relatively long, knee-length shorts. HBC assumed that that because it was the 1950s that they were flannel shorts. Some of the boys in the back row appear to be wearing balck trousers. These are probably long trousers. Usually once made optional, the boys began wearing lon pants.
All of the boys in shorts are wearing kneesocks. They all are the official school knee socks with two colored bands, presumably thecsame color as the piping on the blazers. Often parents were so proud of their children making it to the grammar that they would want the full uniform including the official socks. Some schools strctly enforced the uniform regulations. Other schools allowed boys to wear palin grey kneesocks--although the boys in shorts were normally not allowed to wear ankle socks, even grey ankle socks.
The girls all wear short white ankle socks. This was a common convention at the time. Usyually boys didn't wear white socks. Presumably this was a school requirement as all of the girls are wearing short white socks. Girls, but not boys, also wore white kneesocks at English schools, but apparetly they were not allowed at Hayes. The use of white kneesocks may have been more common later in the 1960s. HBC is not sure if white kneesocks were commonly worn at other schools at this time.
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All the boys at the sides are wearing black leather lace up shoes. This also appears to have been a school rule. There seems to have been some flexibility as to what kinds of shoes the girls wear. We see a variety of footwear, both lace up shoes and sandals.
Rogers, Lynne. Ex form 1D, Hayes County Grammar School, E-mail message (February 1, 2014).
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