You may remember things that never happen anymore to our children today, especially if you attended school in the 1980s. The days seemed carefree and simpler, whether for better or worse. Let’s look at what we did as kids that we wouldn’t experience today:
Every day, the tuckshop sold crisps and sweets. In the 1980s and 1990s, when I attended school, doughnuts were a perfectly acceptable form of nutrition. Yet there were not many overweight children! We played British Bulldog at every break, or for about 5 minutes, before the bell went off. This was because we spent most of our playtime in a large group, crying “Anybody want to play British Bulldog?” We only had enough players to play British Bulldog by the time the bell rang.
Teachers threw items at students who spoke out of turn. The chalk rubber was the most feared and boys were led to the Headmaster’s Office by their ears. The Maypole and country dancing were all too common and often involved holding hands with a boy who picked his nose!
No fences or gates were in place, so anyone could walk into the school. Kids would often wander away and miss lessons. There are now gates, intercoms, and doors. Anyone who comes into contact with children must also have a DBS check.
Smoking was common among visitors to schools and students. The things we thought were normal in the past are not even possible to imagine today. Grange Hill made thousands of primary school students fear high school. Its gritty themes, hard-hitting drama and harrowing scenes made high school seem like a nightmare.
Today’s classrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art whiteboards and smartboards. It would take a long time to download a game from a computer onto a cassette, but today’s kids have access to an array of educational apps via their school ipads. To market and show off the technology available in your school, don’t forget to include details on your school’s website. Which, of course, didn’t exist back in the eighties. For Primary School Websites, go to https://www.fsedesign.co.uk/websites-for-schools/primary-school-websites
The school lunches were filled with the best puddings. The puddings were heavy and you could build a house with them, but we loved the pink custard. Fruit was the worst and we would not eat anything that didn’t come with custard or baked beans. In schools, healthy eating is a big deal with an emphasis on organic and locally-sourced food for today’s pupils.
