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Many state primary schools in the 1980s had basic uniforms with grey sweaters and short trousers and knee socks. Some such as the Church of England schools had blazers. Some allowed the older boys to wear longs. Many preparatory schools continued to require more elaborate uniforms. Many prep schools discontinued caps, but a few still required them. Almost all had blazers. Most prep schools still had short pants uniforms. Many allowed the older boys to wear longs. Some had all the boys wear longs. Most attempted to simpplify the uniform. Most educational authorities went comprehensive in the 1970s. The schools still insisted on uniforms, in most cases black blazers. Boys even the junior boys wore long trousers to their secondary schools.
I attended two very ordinary suburban state primary schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I was rather a solemn dresser as a boy, and I remember my sister constantly having a go at me to wear more cheerful clothes! I often wore a dark blue or green jumper with a shirt. Once I'd started wearing shorts for school I usually stuck with shorts at other times, except on the very coldest days. I have very clear memories of my first day at Primary School. The uniform was a grey v-neck jumper, white shirt, red and yellow tie, grey short trousers, knee-length grey socks and black shoes. I absolutely hated the shorts. My own views, however, were changing. At the age of 9 I remember walking to school with my mother and arguing with her because I wanted to be allowed to wear shorts for school again. She was clearly exasperated that this child who had complained so bitterly about having his knees on display had now done a complete u-turn. On Sunday I sang in our church choir. There was no perscribed choir uniform like a cathedral choir. We wore cassocks over our regular clothes. I was a Cub - from the age of 8 until I joined the Scouts at 10 and a half. I loved it!
I grew up in England during the 1970s. I attended the local infant school from age 4 to 7. It was mixed, and all boys wore grey shorts, other than that therewere no uniform requirements. Girls could wear anything, but they all wore dresses or skirts. No girl ever wore trousers or shorts, it was unthinkable. The boys all wore long socks, usually grey, but sometimes patterned fawn or brown, even black. We never wore white socks, only girls wore white socks. The girls did wear tights, thick woolly things, never nylons.
Many of our HBC personal experiences are written accounts submitted by HBC readers. We also include images which also provide fascinating personal glimses. For these images we can often only try to assess what is occuring or the student in question is thinking. Nevertheless they provide useful contast to the otherwise mostly written accounts.
The boy's sandals are the same as those I wore growing up in the 70's and 80's. I still remember goung to the shoestore with my Mom when I was in kindergarten. I insisted on buying sandals! We got a pair of brown leather sandals with thin straps (of course they had a heelstrap). Th! e following day when my Mom took me to school she told my teacher how I made her by me sandals. They both thought it was so cute. I was a little embarassed. I remember that I wore them with red socks. Despite my initial timidity I continued to wear the same kind of sandal throughout my childhood. On the first day of the first grade I was teased for having worn sandals. But I didn't care and continued to wear them. I knew that a lot of the other boys were jealous that I wasn't "foot-shy" and that I was wearing adorable, comfortable sandals. (I just loved showing off my little toes!) I mostly wore them with socks - red, blue, brown and black. In the warmer weather I wore sandals in bare feet.
I attended Dean Grange Prep School in the mid 1980's. It was a small school owned and run by the Headmaster. About a quarter of the pupils were boarders. Some were from forces families, others from various parts of southern England. There were also boarders from Nigeria and Asia. There were boarders from about 4 or 5 up to 14. Usually pupils would leave and go to a senior school after the school year when they turned 13 but when I was there there were a few older children. Their parents must have had an arrangement with the school for them to stay but I think the Headmaster may have been trying to extend the school to include a senior section. They wore the smae uniform as us but were allowed brown trousers on special occasions. Some boys over 11 also had trousers but they were not worn often as the school insisted on shorts for everyone even in the winter except on special occasions.
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