school uniforms

[manofkent59]

Yep. Primary school 60s and early 70s - grey shorts all year round, grey knee socks which slipped down to the ankles, shirt, tie, cap. Secondary school basically the same formal style except shorts replaced by long trousers, and no cap. One boy wore shorts to secondary school from 11-13 - the only boy in the school to do so. White shorts for PE and dark blue footy shorts though think I got away with a pair of lighter blue nylon footy shorts higher up the school. Woe betide if you wore your coloured football shorts to PE lessons!

Plus of course the school blazer at both schools

[manofkent59]

Can anyone remember your school uniform in the 70s, my was short,grey shorts and grey knee socks, shirt and tie and cap. Oh what memories. Did anyone else have to dress like that.

Yep. Primary school 60s and early 70s - grey shorts all year round, grey knee socks which slipped down to the ankles, shirt, tie, cap. Secondary school basically the same formal style except shorts replaced by long trousers, and no cap. One boy wore shorts to secondary school from 11-13 - the only boy in the school to do so. White shorts for PE and dark blue footy shorts though think I got away with a pair of lighter blue nylon footy shorts higher up the school. Woe betide if you wore your coloured football shorts to PE lessons!

[George 1978]

I read over the weekend about some schoolboy who wore his sister's skirt to school because of the hot weather and the fact that boys could only wear trousers which in this instance, was too hot in order to wear them (talk about hot pants!) Shorts were not permitted either (to be honest, I would rather wear trousers rather than shorts in any case, even in hot weather). The irony was that this was in Scotland where the kilt has been traditional for centuries, although not as part of school uniform!

Surely, that sort of thing didn't go on in our day, did it?

[George 1978]

I still have my primary school tie 42 years on

And you never got round to burning it? (which seemed to be a tradition on the last day of school).

[ericthecavalier]

I still have my primary school tie 42 years on

[George 1978]

Trisha and Justine looked great in their uniforms, and ironically, Justine looked more grown up in hers! Probably because the class of 1988 was more liberalised and grown up than the class of 1978.

Boys' school uniform sans school badge looked like an adult man's business suit only for a smaller person, and so I suppose that boys wouldn't have much to say about it - when they left school and gone to university, etc, they probably would have become successful in life such as become a businessman, an MP or a Chief Executive where they would have had to wear something that resembles a blazer or jacket, trousers and tie anyway. A woman in the same situation would not have worn something that resembled a girls' school uniform for obvious reasons - the fact of the matter is that females change more between childhood and adulthood than males do and that is more than apparent in this instance.

[George 1978]

Some school uniforms were passed on to other families with younger children going to the same school.

Makes sense because no other school would have the same uniform, but I bet a mile off that others could see that they weren't brand new - ironic that uniform makes people equal and so one would think that it wouldn't happen.

[George 1978]

I think my old school uniform probably went to the charity shop, although my school (the only one where uniform was worn where I went to) closed a year after I left. On second thoughts, I can understand how much hassle someone would get for wearing second hand school uniform from a charity shop.

[Moonraker]

My uniform in 1977 consisted of a black blazer and black trousers. Odd thing is I came across my school tie whilst clearing out.

[W1 Rover]

In secondary school it was the usual blazer, shirt trousers and tie. In 1977 along came punk rock and the lapels of our blazers were embellished with pin badges, The Clash, Stranglers, Sex Pistols and The Jam being typical examples with a few safety pins added for good measure. Shortly afterwards Sham 69 came on the scene and there was a skinhead revival of sorts. I'll always remember turning up for school one morning and finding some of the lads had gone through a transformation overnight. There they were, standing in a group in the playground sporting very short haircuts, plaid shirts, braces and their orange label drainpipe Levi's turned up to the top of their Doc's.
Oh yes, you'd never have the top button of your shirt done up! You'd be known as a top button boy. It was never good to be called a top button boy

[80sChav]

Re: school uniforms

I would have liked school uniform to be optional (cf Grange Hill series 3 and 4)

Like in Warterloo Rd where they dressed Chavvy was good George yeah - but not optional like GH in that sense in Series 3 and 4!

That just made the Prgo look daft then in my opinion and never made it realistic (even though this was what was being trialed at the time etc)!!

80sChav

[George 1978]

Re: school uniforms

I would have liked school uniform to be optional (cf Grange Hill series 3 and 4) - mind you, the girls could continue wearing it as far as I was concerned...

[80sChav]

Re: school uniforms

From the 70s wore black blazer and trousers. Black shoes. Still have the striped tie. Then for some reason that I cannot recall I began wearing gola trainers and even began wearing football boots with studs.
Some students wore Farah trousers.

Wow how amazing stylish you was Moonraker - if the Boots was astros though, i'd endorse that 120% .... though they would'nt be obviously of course!

Going back to my First Secondary - most lads (as i say had a choice of White, Sky Blue and Grey shirts) which enabled the hard and tough kids to wear Denim Shirts as Grey ones - though subbing your White Shirt for a White polo (especialy after PE remained an exclusive choice to break the rules that earned you immense instant "School Street Cred" too

Though with the Denim shirt - I never got that or a Light to Medium Grey Shirt - at school or otherwise!, and always thought my School was alone on the Grey Shirt plus White and Sky Blue! I mean yep I appreciate it more these day's (a lot, lot more) but to create such looks with Denim and leather and Grey shirts you have to match ertain items, like the Demim Jacket, White T Shirt and leather trousers (like Joey on Bread), not all "all at once" and no John Travolta look was this when done as so, and as regards copying Paul Weller and the Guys from Tears For Fears at school or at School Discos say with Tight Sleeved Polos and Skinny Ties with a Sports Jacket/Blazer and skinny tie - either reverse-tied or "the Real McCoy", all this was in another stratosphere too!

80sChav

[80sChav]

Re: school uniforms

It seems every secondary school had at least one teacher who used to ruthlessly implement the uniform policy.

There was one at mine, but I never managed to fall foul of him, though it helped I tried to stick to the rules & was was based in another school building.

We had a few who was keen at mine, Richard - but they never went o.t.t ruthlessly

My 2nd school was way more keen than the first - but the first one told you first day in Year 7 - what to expect and though the 2nd was more keen (they had more "favourites" as such who they'd let off)!!

80sChav

[George 1978]

Re: school uniforms

Any boy at my school who had turned up in a skirt would have had six of the best!

Sounds like something out of a St Trinian's film.