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After primary I went to the local secondary school. It was only to last a
year (following the trend of my brother) as I really did not like it and was
bullied but I can vividly remember the excitement and anticipation about
moving on to the ‘big’ school. I was 11. My Parents took us shopping
towards the end of the Summer Holidays to get my new uniform and buy Shane
some new kit. This was going to be my first proper school uniform and I was
very excited about it and being ‘older’. The uniform comprised of Navy Blue
school trousers and Blazer, White shirt with blue and yellow banded tie,
grey socks and black lace up shoes. The new school was huge in comparison to what I was used to and a lot
rougher and tougher. On our first day we went on a tour in small groups and
when we arrived at our Housemasters office he told us his name, showed us
his collection of different canes, said he hoped none of us would ever meet
any of them again and sent us on our way. It certainly struck terror into
me. Teachers had whacked you across the back of the head, thrown board
rubbers or given you a smack across the legs or your backside but I’d never
known the slipper or cane. Shane had told me how those hurt and stung and I
was more than happy to take his word for it. I don’t know whether the PE staff in the 70s had special teacher training or
were simply getting their own back for their own school days but they were a
breed apart. Unless you were very sporty they were out to kill you or at
the least make your pathetic little life as miserable as possible. None of
the fun and encouragement we have today. Some of them were just plain mean,
nasty, evil and verging on sadistic… or so I as a little boy believed.
My first "big" school was located in Darligton. It was a comprehensive school--Eastbourne School. Kt was a school in Darlington despite it having the same name as the South Coast town with all the pensioners. Eastbourne, the town, is a favoured retirement spot! The County had no Grammar schools. These had been closed/merged into Comprehensives or Secondary Moderns as some called them in large parts of the country after a big back-lash towards the 11+ exam. This
left the country with different systems depending upon where in the country you lived.
After primary I went to the local secondary school. It was only to last a
year (following the trend of my brother) as I really did not like it and was
bullied but I can vividly remember the excitement and anticipation about
moving on to the ‘big’ school. I was 11.
My Parents took us shopping
towards the end of the Summer Holidays to get my new uniform and buy Shane
some new kit. This was going to be my first proper school uniform and I was
very excited about it and being ‘older’. The uniform comprised of Navy Blue
school trousers and blazer, blue shirt, tie with blue stripes, grey socks and black lace up shoes. There was also a choice of either a
navy blue or grey v-necked jumper or sleeveless jumper. I opted for the
regular blue one. I felt really grown up, especially with the blazer &
school badge. I also had my first pair of football boots and after years of
waiting, white lace up plimsolls for PE. My PE and Games kit was a white
athletics vest ort-shirt and white cotton shorts with short white socks and
pumps for indoor pe and a reversible rugby top which was light blue on one
side and dark blue with a yellow band around the chest on the other, black
rugby shorts, long dark blue football socks with yellow tops, royal blue
speedo swimming trunks and a towel. The school did not say anything about
any particular type of coat. On our first day we were each given a small
coloured pin on badge to wear on out blazer lapels to show which House we
were in. Shane had another whinge because he was still expected to wear
shorts at school but it was nothing major. He was more than happy about
getting new sports kits and a brand new sports/casual jacket.
The new school was huge in comparison to what I was used to and a lot
rougher and tougher. On our first day we went on a tour in small groups and
when we arrived at our Housemasters office he told us his name, showed us
his collection of different canes, said he hoped none of us would ever meet
any of them again and sent us on our way. It certainly struck terror into
me. Teachers had whacked you across the back of the head, thrown board
rubbers or given you a smack across the legs or your backside but I’d never
known the slipper or cane. Shane had told me how those hurt and stung and I
was more than happy to take his word for it.
We had to wear aprons for woodwork, art and home economics but they were
provided by the school. At primary you had to take in one of your Dads old
shirts to wear the wrong way round when painting.
I don’t know whether the PE staff in the 70s had special teacher training or
were simply getting their own back for their own school days but they were a
breed apart. Unless you were very sporty they were out to kill you or at
the least make your pathetic little life as miserable as possible. None of
the fun and encouragement we have today. Some of them were just plain mean,
nasty, evil and verging on sadistic… or so I as a little boy believed.
We had Games first thing on a Monday morning. Obviously the worst period of
the week given to the new kids. After registration we would all attend
assembly where being naive eager to please kids we would sing as loudly as
demanded in return for house points. From there we would collect our bags
and head over to the sports block where would all have to line up against
the corridor wall (without leaning on it) beside the gym and wait for the PE
staff to tell us what kit to change into. They would then give us 5 minutes to go into the changing rooms, get changed and line back up again
suitably dressed. If you were late you had to line up as you were and
continue to get changed there after everyone was told what to do. Quite a
few times there were semi-naked boys clutching part of their uniform, bits of kit
or with only one boot on. This wasn’t done with the girls or the senior
boys so was obviously special training in speed dressing for the 11 to 13s.
Please note that none of us ever returned naked. A close call for some who had been messing
about, talking or taking their time but I certainly have no memory of any of
us being herded out with nothing on though it was quite common to only be
part changed and we'd rush out trailing rugby tops, socks etc, a few boys
had to swap their pants for shorts en-route or in the corridor.
It usually worked and we very quickly learnt that getting your underpants
and trousers off and shorts on was the first thing to do. LOL there was
the ever present threat from the staff that they would make you do PE or
games in the nude or dressed in girls kit but that was never done. The
sheer threat was enough whether it was serious or not and of all the staff
you would disobey the PE staff least. There was a bin full of assorted lost
kit and you could rummage in their if you needed something you’d forgotten.
The fact this was there did nothing to quell the dread that the staff may
just be being serious.
If we were in the gym we would be in ‘whites’ meaning white vest or t-shirt,
white cotton shorts, white ankle socks and white plimsolls but more often
than not we were required to do without our tops unless one side needed them
to show which team was which. Unlike at Primary most PE lessons and all
Games lessons were boys only. If you had forgotten your kit or had the
wrong item on you and everyone else would have to run laps of the gym. I
don’t know about the girls but boys would then be expected to do the lesson
in just their underpants irrespective of age as even the older boys had the
same rules. None of us were allowed to wear underpants under our shorts or
if outside keep our school socks on or have a t-shirt or vest under our kit.
If staff spotted you had or more likely someone snitched the punishment was
to remove the offending item or items there and then. Bad enough if it were
your socks on a cold rugby field but horrendous for those who had tried to
keep their underwear on. Witnessing one or two very unlucky miscreants have
to change at the side of the field was enough to ensure the rest of us did
exactly as we were told. There was never any leeway based upon the weather
unless it was physically impossible to see through the fog, rain or snow.
Out we went in all weathers to play whatever sport had been decided for us.
There was no such thing as track suits for us, they were considered suitable
only for wimps or members of the senior sports teams on their way to
matches. In fact we had one PE teacher who made us all remove our rugby
tops and do push ups and sit ups etc in the puddles and mud before setting
off on cross country runs as it would apparently prevent us from being
frightened of getting dirty during the run! Considering cross country was
usually reserved for days when the weather was really bad or cold you can
imagine how popular that was. None of us would complain however. You just
didn’t. Not only because it was a worthless exercise and would probably
result in you being in more trouble but also because we’d had it instilled
into us that we should simply do as we are told and that the end of it. The
cross country route the school used went right around the perimeter of the
school, through the neighbouring park, through part of the housing estate
and back in and around the playing fields. It was probably only a couple of
miles but felt like a lot more. We were always aware of being stared at as
we went through the park and houses; some of the boys had to go past their
own houses and would see if they could wave to their Mums or alternatively
try to avoid being spotted.
Team games such as rugby and football were favoured with athletics and
sometimes cricket in the Spring/Summer. There were tennis courts but we
never played. Only school team members had cricket whites, the rest of us
wore our whites with our school uniform shirts with sleeves rolled up and
collars undone. Athletics was done in whites and either topless or wearing
a white athletics vest, t-shirts were not allowed. The favoured game in the
gym (by the staff) was murder ball which was dodgeball played with human
skittles running from one end of the gym to the other trying to dodge an
assortment of balls taking our legs out from under us. The assortment
including the dreaded medicine balls. Gymnastics was very popular and I
regret that its not available to as many boys these days. There was a big
empthasis on fitness and fat boys had their lives made hell, not only always
being picked last for teams but having comments shouted about their shape
and weight or inability to keep pace. Strangely on the rugby field those
same attributes often proved useful. The school had its own full sized
swimming pool and we had a double lesson every week. These were mixed
lessons. Nothing unusual about them. Boys had school colour swimming
speedo trunks and the girls all in one swimsuits. There was the obligatory
anticeptic bath to step through on the way to and from the pool and the ever
present scourge of verruccas. Those not allowed in the pool had to sit by
the side and watch. If you forgot your trunks the school sometimes lent you
a pair but everyone hated the thought of that.
After all sports whether PE,
Games or Swimming everyone without exception had to take a shower; that included those who’d skived off because of asthma or whatever. One of the staff would stand at the entrance of the showers and nobody could leave them until everyone was in and there were no traces of mud left. Soap was not an
option. If you came out and had missed a bit you were sent straight back in again. The idea of communal showers scared the life out of me beforehand and the first time. I had obviously shared with my brother and was not upset about having nothing on, but having to share with so many publicly was a bit nerve wracking at first. I really enjoyed showers though, especially
as we did not have one at home. It’s a shame that many schools now do not
have obligatory showers after sports as apart from the obvious hygiene
aspect it also ensured we grew up without any great hang-ups over our bodies
or body shape. Very often now boys will try to do the towel tango even at a
very young age to try and avoid any part of them showing and some schools
like one of the state schools near me send the boys home in their sports kit
rather than expecting them to get changed if their lessons are at the end of
the day. This may read as really tough and terrible but although it is not
how I would treat a youngster myself nowadays it was perfectly acceptable
back then and I really don’t think it did any of us much harm other than
putting some off sports.
The discipline side of sports was good for boys, but it is good that
teachers now do more to encourage enjoyment of sports rather than using
sport as just a means to an end and encourage even the less sporty types.
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