UK schools: How times change

When I think about my school days I feel very old. Talking about them to people, even those people in their forties, makes me feel ancient. Times have changed so much and this is no less true of education.

Here is a glimpse into my schooldays past, in the UK.

I started Infants school when I was five years old. I would have been 5 in the March but did not start school until after the Summer break. This meant it was September and I was almost 51/2 by the time school began for me. Children were sometimes able to start school at Easter but that was dependent on when Easter fell and when it was your birthday.

This could mean that, as some children were a little older, they had an advantage when they started school.

A school day began at 9am with the morning assembly. In the fifties this included at least one hymn. The Head would incorporate what seemed like an endless talk and then we would make our way to classes. As a small child I attended a school that was housed in an old Victorian building. It was freezing cold most days. If it was not it was boiling hot. No such thing as central heating or air conditioning. If the meagre heating broke down we were issued with small beanbags to throw in the air to try and keep warm.

Infants school was mixed sex classes but by the time Junior school came around it was an all girls school. Not healthy nor helpful for future life as an adult in the real world.

One of my lasting memories of infant school was getting caned on my hand. My crime? I and another 5 year old were playing in the class Wendy house. As we passed a doll's cup and saucer over, a little water spilt on a cloth. A sharp wrap on our hands showed the teacher's displeasure.

Aged 11 and a bit I sat the 11 plus exam and was thrown on the scarp heap of life. A bright child I was expected to sail through this exam I did not. Oh the shame. My brother has passed his exam and been accepted to two high schools. How unfair is that.

I moved to a Secondary Modern school close to home and aged 12 and a bit was put forward for another exam. This time I did not get my hopes up. I had already been taught that life does not always go the way he had hoped.

This exam was for a local College of Arts and Crafts. I had a talent for art at that age which had been spotted. An exam of English, Maths and Art left me with a place at this school. In the end a government change created Comprehensive schools two years later and the art school closed. It was fun while it lasted though.

Academic subjects were simply English, Maths, History and Geography and the rest was Dressmaking, Fabric Printing, Drawing, Painting, Lino Printing and the like. We has PE thrown in for good measure which included hockey at nearby playing fields. We were very St Trinian I'm afraid to say.

Our behaviour spilled over into our uniforms. We had a strict uniform dress code. including a school beret, for the girls. This was a mixed sex school and the boys had a fagging system used by the older boys. Poor devils. We girls would throw our berets around, drag them though puddles and the like.

I attended that school between the age of 12 and 14 plus. Girls were not allowed to wear make up. Of course we would blather pale panstick make-up on our faces, pale lipstick and lashings of black mascara on our eye lashes, if and when we could. If caught it was unceremoniously removed.

The school's closure was sad for all

Some of the teachers moved with us. Our new school was a huge Comprehensive, modern school on the outskirts of town. It was miles from where I lived. Our smaller art school was another old Victorian building which had a charm all of its own. That said it would not provided the academic studies my new school did. Nor would it have enabled the pupils to sit and pass plenty of examinations.

In spite of what I have written I loved school. I did fairly well in my examinations and often faired well in the class. I guess I always knew that work would be a bummer.

Yes for me they were happy days, well mostly.

( Pictures to follow if I can find any)

Having made it this far please take the time to rate this hub and if appropriate, vote FUNNY/ USEFUL/ AWESOME or BEAUTIFUL. Check out the ads to offer this writer some recompense for her time. Thank-you

Join the Hubbers at Hubpages to participate yourself.