Burnley Grammar School

Michael,the secondary school that I attended had a requirement that boys should wear grey,long or short trousers through out the school years,regardless of their age.
I read the school uniform list with dismay as I knew my parents would require me to wear short trousers for at least the first two years.
At school the majority of boys seemed to wear long trousers regardless of their age and the opportunity for myself to wear long trousers was lost.I think it would have been fairer if there had been'a cut off point' where all boys could have worn long trousers at a certain age.

My early 1960s grammar school uniform list stipulated short trousers for boys all year round, summer and winter, for at least our first two full years.

However, two boys in my class were allowed to wear long trousers for exceptional reasons. One was because he had been in an accident resulting in ugly scarring to one leg, and the other was because his over protective mother had kicked up a fuss about her (delicate?) boy's legs getting cold in winter.

Rather than get involved in a lengthy dispute, and probably thinking the matter not worth the bother, the headteacher had relented.

Just an observation on the style of shorts and how they have changed. We have seen a lot of pictures about 1966 World cup What a difference in the shorts worn then ans now.

Greg 2, we didn't have to wear a shirt for gym and wore minimal kit for games and cross country,but didn't have to go bare foot.
My mother also put me in shorts much shorter than what the other boys wore simply because she liked to keep me in short shorts.

James, I didn’t ‘have’ to wear those shorts, in fact refused to wear them again. I just found them amongst my clothes when away with school. They weren’t obviously different in design to my usual shorts at that time, apart from the material they were made from. They weren’t the famous lederhosen…though we did have a pair of these at home! As these tough shorts never seemed to wear out, these had once belonged to my eldest brother who had worn them in the late 50s in Germany where he was born. They were actually quite beautifully made from a rather stiff brown leather, and with a green piping along the side pockets, leg turn ups, and front buttoned flap part. Originally they had leather T braces, with an engraving of a reindeer in the leather oval that connected the straps, but this bracing had long gone when I once tried them on, and wore them around the house when I was little. I never went out in them! I wouldn’t have minded doing so if people in this country hadn’t thought them so odd...but I think we are going slightly off topic now!

I’ve tried to remember whether we ever had to do gym without a shirt, and don’t think we ever did. We always had to wear all white. We also never had ‘shirts against skins’ during games lessons, as some have mentioned. We did however have coloured bibs to differentiate between teams, and do remember that during boys' selections for various school teams, our sides would be named, ‘possibles against probables!’ During cross country, we could always wear shirts of any colour, and we never did this barefoot. So, quite cosseted really, in comparison to some of the strict regimes mentioned by others.

I believe at the younger ages these days, girls now join the boys on the school football teams. During my time at school, at half-time the girls would bring orange segments onto the pitch which they'd prepared, and hand these to the boys off a white plate! How times have changed!

Greg 2, I'm sure" that children accept anything eventually and conform when all around are doing so and it seems to be the accepted rule".
The similarities between ourselves with both having similar operations a
and daily bed baths and then occasional baths exasperated our situation.
Of course being isolated from school and our contemporaries ,would make it more difficult to adhere to the rules that would have to be adhered to and when everyone was complacent to the idea of communal showers I could appreciate the difficulties that you faced.
Of course that wasn't the only thing that caused embarrassment my mother took great delight in putting me in short trousers for school and home and although I didn't have to wear leather shorts like you did I wore shorts all the time to much to my annoyance.

Bernard: Pejorative remarks like "little darlings" (It's a wonder you didn't employ that favourite cliche' It's political
correctness gone mad) regarding "monitoring" (or voyeurism according to your views), doesn't take away from the fact that there are and were many teachers who took advantage of their situation, as his list shows:

https://www.ibbclaims.co.uk/site/services/child-abuse-and-trafficking/convicted-offenders/

It seriously makes you wonder how many teachers got away with disgusting behaviour in the good old days, before the "little darlings" and their parents complained about it, as was their right.

Frank, Tom - I think it is important for children to be pushed out of their comfort zones as they grow up. They are unlikely to develop as well as they could if this does not happen. There seems to be a fairly common attitude that you "must not make the little darlings do anything they don't want to" and this is not doing our children any good at all.
It is, of course, right that showers should be monitored just as other parts of the lesson are monitored. When we were young there was not the "requirement" to sue teachers or others if an accident happens but a teacher could still have been in trouble if a child was injured when the class was not being properly supervised.

Frank C, As mentioned below, we had mandatory showering when I eventually caught up with secondary school, having missed the start. This would have been 1968, and I think it was quite routine to be expected to shower after gym and games back then. I don’t think experiencing this improved my confidence, rather it was just thought to be yet another thing I had to endure at school that I didn’t like. Childhood seemed to be so full of such things at that time, or so I thought at that age.

I’ve always remembered one moment when I didn’t obey expectations though, and this took place during my last year at junior school. The teacher asked me to come to the front of the class and take my top clothes off, so she could point and describe where various organs and bones were. She always seemed to choose me for things, but I drew the line at coming to the front of the class, getting half undressed, and standing there like that in front of everyone, so I refused! I’ve often been quite pleased with myself that I had sufficient confidence to stand my ground and not give in, and this when I was only 11. She did resort to shouting and almost forcing me to comply I remember, but I just said I didn’t want to, and just stayed quiet after that. I can remember really hoping she didn’t drag me out, which wouldn’t have been beyond any teacher’s behaviour at that time, but thankfully she eventually just gave up and picked on another boy. So, underneath it all, I think I wasn't short on confidence.

I wasn’t really a ‘shy’ boy at school, just quietly, bodily, self-conscious, so just very uncomfortable with having to take my clothes off in front of anyone; I don’t think shyness and self-consciousness necessarily equate. When the time did come for the mandatory showering to kick in, I just literally, ’took my kit off’ thereby making myself have to join the others, as ‘the dreaded moment had arrived’ Anyway, the intimidating gym teacher was nearby, and always ready to pounce!

I do think that had I experienced showering all together, in the altogether, when it was a new and shared experience for everyone, this would certainly have made it much easier. Strangely, I do think having had to endure routine daily hospital bed baths, then occasional baths, given by two teenage student nurses only a few months earlier, probably ‘broke the ice’ as I hated that too. I just became resigned to complying with these difficulties for me in the end. This has often made me wonder: do others think that children just accept anything eventually, and just conform when it seems all around are doing so, and it seems to be the expected rule?

Frank, agreed. In the recent heat, I rediscovered an old pair of PE shorts from the sixties and put them on for fun. Wearing them brought the memories flooding back – the feeling of vulnerability (they were short (10.5 inches), unlined and white) and our tough love PE teacher (a tough, ex-forces PTI, keen on corporal punishment).
Things are very different nowadays, but way back then, most people approved of the approach – certainly my parents did and even most pupils. Some thought him too keen on the belt, but in my opinion he was a professional doing his job the way he thought was right. I believe that he sincerely believed in his approach. It made us fit and the fact that I can get into my old shorts is testament to that.

Frank, I think I would have benefited from being forced out of my shell with some tough love. I am absolutely with you there.

I’m not just talking in the context of school PE which I believe is a terrible wasted opportunity for most children.

I was allowed, by parents and the education system, to get away with not doing anything I didn’t want to do. A lovely idea but it made me lazy and without clear goals I also don’t feel I achieved much.

As an adult I have friends who were in the scouts or did DofE, or maybe CCF, along with a range of sports. I never did any of it.

Frank C

"Monitored showers"
"Tough love"
and - especially - "Sub and dom"

This sounds like the scenario of a homoerotic video, and - forgive me for for saying this - this discussion frequently veers towards that topic. Fine if people like that sort of thing but in the context of SCHOOLBOYS, I think it is rather distasteful, which is the main reason I am glad children don't have to go through this sort of thing these days, and there would be severe punishment for any teacher brazen enough to try it.

There were some very unhealthy attitudes displayed by some teachers in the past

Greg2 and Tom B. In 1971 when I was 12 at the Independent Grammar School I attended. We had mandatory showering after P. E.Games and it was monitored. I think I benefited greatly for this regime because I was shy and introvert in character. It made me feel more confident in my self. As mentioned earlier in the forum many Gym Masters would have undergone conscription and later trained as teachers. I was lucky that they past on this discipline of shouting a bit and having tough love towards us. I quite liked the Sub / Dom aspect of the schools policy because it made you do what you otherwise wouldn't or you would avoid it and made to it,c

I think 12, 13, 14. Same for spanking.

How about you?

James: the punishment was not getting shorts or any pants then.

Daniel63: I suppose I was about the same age when I received a spanking.,but not wearing shorts was not seen as a punishment.

I think 12, 13, 14. Same for spanking.

How about you?

Daniel63: that sounds a bit harsh to be made to go without shorts,at least a spanking would soon be over.
How old were you when you were not having to wear your shorts?

James: consequences were mostly a spanking. Or: not having to wear my shorts but I didn't get any other pants then.

Daniel63: may I ask what the consequences would have been if you had refused to wear your shorts? yes, I did refuse to wear my shorts if people were coming round,but to no avail.I was teased considerably for wearing shorts which I considered unfair as I didn't wear them by choice.
I mainly wore just my shorts at home,but when I was taken out I wore a polo shirt,satin shorts and trainers.

James: rarely I refused. I didn't like the consequences. Did you refuse? Were you teased by your friends and others for just wearing shorts? Did your parents make you wear just your shorts bare chest and barefoot just at home or outside almost everywhere possible?

Daniel63: I wouldn't have objected to wearing shorts if my friends wore them,but to be seen wearing shorts and bare chested and barefoot was embarrassing to say the least.
I suppose my parents found it very gratifying to see me wearing shorts at their request.
Did you refuse to wear your shorts or just oblige your parents?

James: it was the same with my parents.

I was ok in wearing shorts. Other boys and my friends wore shorts so it wasn't a big deal.

Being told to be in just shorts, bare chested and barefoot was the difference. I suppose they thought it was healthier that way.

Daniel63: my parents decided what I should wear on a daily basis and they considered it appropriate to wear shorts and go bare-chested and barefoot if the weather were suitable. I suppose they considered it healthier to wear just shorts,but I found them to restrictive as none of my friends wore shorts at my age.
Did you feel the same way?

James: partly. It was sure my own preference when it was really hot, but parents wanted it anyway.

How about you?

Daniel 63: did you have to wear just your shorts and go bare chested at home or was it your own preference?

James: like you in shorts and bare chested. sometimes barefoot too. according to the weather.

Daniel63,If it were warm and sunny I would typically go bare chested,otherwise I would wear a polo shirt with my shorts.
How about you?

James, did you have to be bare chested at home when you were in shorts? or how were you "allowed" to wear at home?

Greg 2, thank you for your reply, I agree that' being ridiculed is never good'especially as it was my parents' decision to keep me in shorts while other boys wore long trousers. I think it was a shame that you were bullied when you were wearing your leather shorts,as I would consider that you should feel proud to wear your previous country's costume.
Unlike yourself I didn't have any jeans or long trousers to wear,so I wore my shorts on a daily basis with trepidation.