Figure 1.--This primary school class was photographed wevthunk un the early 1960s. The children look like the older pupils at the school, ptobabky the5th year class meaning 10 year olds. It lools to us like achool that is behinning to adopt a uniform. Most of the boys are weaering school uniform garments. Only the Asian boy in the front row wears long pants. The gurls are, howerver weating regular dresses, not school uniform garments. Their school is clearly a new primary school built after World War II.

Changes which began in English schoolwear during the 1950s became increasingly apparent during the 1960s. We see more primary schools adopoting school uniforms. State primarties before World War II did not have uniforms. Uniforms were mostly worn at private schools. After the War in the 1950s, some began adopting iniforms. And by the 60s quite a few but not the majority had uniforms. It was was up to the individual school. Many boys wore school uniform garments, but only some schools had mandatory uniforms. School uniform, however, was changing. Caps were much less seen on English streets. Short pants were still common at state primary schools and were required at most prep schools. We see many primaries with boys wearing short pants. And others with many boys wearing long pants, especially by the end of the decade. At private schools, we see many schools allowing the older boys to wear long pants. Again this varied from school to school. The junior boys at many secondary schools still commonly wore shorts at the beginning of the decade, but by the end of the decade only a few grammar schools maintained this requirement. Many public (private secondary schools) did continue to insist on shorts for junior boys. There seems to be social clas factors involved at the state schools, Working-class boys seem more likely to wear long pants.

Caps

The school cap was now rarely seen in primary schools and even some prep schools began to drop them. Many secondary schools also dropped caps still common at the beginning of the decade. The caps had been dropped at many state secondary and public schools by the end of the decade. Caps continued to be worn only in schools where the headmaster was willing to devote considerable effort to emforce the requirement. Only in the prep schools were caps still common, but even some prep schools has dropped the requirement by the end of the decade.

Ties

Primary schools did not require ties and few primary boys wore them at schools where there were no uniforms. Many primary schools in the 1960s, however, began instituting uniforms and many of those uniforms included neckties. Most prep schools required them ecen for the younger boys. Almost all secondary schools, private and public, contibued to require ties. A few private secondary schools with an outdoor image did not requuire the boys to wear their ties during the school day.

Blazers and jackets

Few primary boys wore suit jackets to schools in the 1960s at schools without uniforms. Even the schools that adopted uniforms in the 1960s often did not adopt one with a blazer--but generally a simplier uniform. At the non-uniform schools decade became increasingly casual. Blazers or suits were required at almost all prepschools. A few had special regular sdchool day outfits wth less formal cord jackets. Virtually all secondary sdchools, state and private, required blazers or suit jackets.

Trousers

Short pants continued to be common at primary schools, although more and more boys wore long pants--especially during the winter. This is a process that continued steadily during the decade. It varies from school to schools and was especially pronounced in working-class neignorhoods. Schools instituting uniforms often required short pants. Prep schools generally had short pants uniforms. State secondary schools at the begiining of the decade often required the younger boys to wear shorts, but this had become much less common by the end of the decade. Private secondary schools (public schools) varied. An increasing number allowed all boys to wear longs. Others required shorts for the younger boys, although rules varied from school to school. The shorts worn also became shorter and more trim fitting during the 1960s. The long, baggy shorts often worn in the 1950s were rarely seen after the eraly 1960s.

Socks

Most primary boys wearing shorts wore kneesocks during the winter, but ankle socks became more common during the 1960s. Primary schools with uniforms generally required kneesocks. Some prepschools had seasonal uniforms and during the summer had ankle socks or someyimes sandals without socks. The declining number of secondary schools requiring shorts pants usually required that they be worn with knee socks.

Footwear

Some primary school boys wore sandals, but not as many as in the 1940s. School sandals were more common for the younger boys and were even more commonly worn by girls of all ages. The sandals that were worn tended to have a wider center strap than those worn earlier. Many prep schools required the boys to wear sandals. Boys in secondary school did not wear sandals.

Created: 1:25 AM 5/18/2020
Last updated: 1:25 AM 5/18/2020