Did you go to school in the 60/70/80's?. Don't miss out!
Discussion
Dibble said:
...I do agree, times have moved on and hitting kids doesn’t really achieve anything positive that I can think of...
If it's done on a casual "you've annoyed me so I'm going to hit you" basis then I agree. But I received (and earned) corporal punishment a couple of times (a rare event in my school) but my behaviour was that bad that if CP hadn't been available it would have been suspension at the very least. So it didn't achieve much but it was the lesser of two weevils.I was at primary school from 76-82 and some tales make my toes curl still.
Paedo headmaster story #1: we went on a school residential; old wartime camp with Nissen huts etc. Girl goes to the toilet at night, comes back to bed and the head is hiding in her bed, "where have you been then?". We were 10/11.
Paedo headmaster story #2: one lad used to get hell of the head all the time. Our library had a wall directly facing the main doors. This lad was invited round there for a chat with the head due to a bit of talking in the library. The wall nearly came down, such was the beating he was getting behind it. Again, we were probably 10.
Paedo headmaster story #3: same lad brought his mice into school in a Stork SB tub. We were gathered round in a crowd, suddenly a shadow descended over us. The lad and the head went into his office for a chat. Beaten up. He was 9 or 10.
Paedo headmaster story #4: some other lad had his prefect badge taken off him due to some little nothing incident. He dared to make light of it within earshot of the head. The head grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and marched him into (coincidentally) a perfects meeting. Put him at the front of the class and started to berate him in front of all of us, then backhands him across the desk of the teacher. Lad stands up, shaking like a leaf apologising to the teacher and re-stacking the stuff on the desk, all while wetting himself in front of us. We were 10/11.
All the same guy. He went to prison for embezzling school funds; he claimed that students with military parents were still at the school years after they left. He also used the school credit card to buy cat food and get his MG repaired. Later his s
thousery caught up with him, some incredibly brave and mentally scarred people went to the police and he went to prison again; this time for paedophilic crimes.
Another teacher used to peck us in the ribs with a stiff hand, but went too far one day and trapped one lads head in the lid of the desk while giving him a special pecking. Weird that guy was.
I was chinned by a teacher; he flicked my tie and told me I was scruffy. I made the mistake of flicking his tie back. Whoops.
Paedo headmaster story #1: we went on a school residential; old wartime camp with Nissen huts etc. Girl goes to the toilet at night, comes back to bed and the head is hiding in her bed, "where have you been then?". We were 10/11.
Paedo headmaster story #2: one lad used to get hell of the head all the time. Our library had a wall directly facing the main doors. This lad was invited round there for a chat with the head due to a bit of talking in the library. The wall nearly came down, such was the beating he was getting behind it. Again, we were probably 10.
Paedo headmaster story #3: same lad brought his mice into school in a Stork SB tub. We were gathered round in a crowd, suddenly a shadow descended over us. The lad and the head went into his office for a chat. Beaten up. He was 9 or 10.
Paedo headmaster story #4: some other lad had his prefect badge taken off him due to some little nothing incident. He dared to make light of it within earshot of the head. The head grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and marched him into (coincidentally) a perfects meeting. Put him at the front of the class and started to berate him in front of all of us, then backhands him across the desk of the teacher. Lad stands up, shaking like a leaf apologising to the teacher and re-stacking the stuff on the desk, all while wetting himself in front of us. We were 10/11.
All the same guy. He went to prison for embezzling school funds; he claimed that students with military parents were still at the school years after they left. He also used the school credit card to buy cat food and get his MG repaired. Later his s
thousery caught up with him, some incredibly brave and mentally scarred people went to the police and he went to prison again; this time for paedophilic crimes.Another teacher used to peck us in the ribs with a stiff hand, but went too far one day and trapped one lads head in the lid of the desk while giving him a special pecking. Weird
that guy was.I was chinned by a teacher; he flicked my tie and told me I was scruffy. I made the mistake of flicking his tie back. Whoops.
had ham said:
...wearing white socks probably being the most innocuous reason.....
Wearing white socks was also a Major Crime in our school (late 80s so nothing worse than detention as punishment).At the time I thought it a ridiculous thing to pick people up on, but in time I realised it was actually a work of genius by the teachers.
Kids are always going to rebel and push the boundaries of what is acceptable, so you give them something meaningless to do as an act of rebellion (wearing white socks) and everyone is happy.
Also blazers went from being mandatory (so the cool kids didn't wear them, or cut the buttons off) to being banned the following year (as we merged with the neighbouring school who didn't wear blazers) which instantly made them the coolest item of uniform to wear (bonus points for wearing the old school's logo/badge).
I started school in the late 1970's and left secondary school in the early 1990's. In my time I never saw any corporal punishment - I think it had been abolished in the state schools in my area.
I cannot even recall there been any pervy or sadistic teachers. That said the (married) male head teacher of my secondary school was charged with indecent acts in a gents public toilet with another chap. He kept his job but was a bit of a laughing stock.
He wasn't a bad head, in my 7 years at secondary school I can't remember ever seeing him out of his office.
It turns out one of the CDT teachers was a peado and was jailed for pretending to be a young lad and getting indecent pictures from a girl
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teacher-pose...
That happened at another school decades after I last saw him, all I can remember about him when I was at school was he was fat and had a yellow Jago kit car that looked like a Jeep.
I cannot even recall there been any pervy or sadistic teachers. That said the (married) male head teacher of my secondary school was charged with indecent acts in a gents public toilet with another chap. He kept his job but was a bit of a laughing stock.
He wasn't a bad head, in my 7 years at secondary school I can't remember ever seeing him out of his office.
It turns out one of the CDT teachers was a peado and was jailed for pretending to be a young lad and getting indecent pictures from a girl
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teacher-pose...
That happened at another school decades after I last saw him, all I can remember about him when I was at school was he was fat and had a yellow Jago kit car that looked like a Jeep.
singlecoil said:
Dibble said:
...I do agree, times have moved on and hitting kids doesn’t really achieve anything positive that I can think of...
If it's done on a casual "you've annoyed me so I'm going to hit you" basis then I agree. But I received (and earned) corporal punishment a couple of times (a rare event in my school) but my behaviour was that bad that if CP hadn't been available it would have been suspension at the very least. So it didn't achieve much but it was the lesser of two weevils.Some, probably most, of the teachers were good to outstanding and hitting a boy would have been an anathema. I remember one who was generally pretty relaxed but could silence a room with one 'bark', and never needed more. He also told us never to tell another boy to p
s off, but 'p*ss orf'. Classic.A few would have if it had been the norm, and took pleasure in putting weaker boys down rather then lifting them up. Not giving consideration to how they'd be remembered.
Uniform was strict, and carrying a copy of the school rules and calendar was mandatory. At a certain point, 'shirt sleeve order' would be allowed, so you could remove your tie, undo the top shirt button and remove your jacket while on school grounds, but not if you were still wearing a jumper.
Smoking was allowed outside one room of the 6th form block, (where loud music, usually heavy metal was played) but earned a detention anywhere else. You could buy cigarettes by the each at the local shop. April Fools' Day meant you could play tricks on teachers, as long as they weren't dangerous. The all had nicknames, obviously. There was an annual Speech and Drama competition ('Spit and Dribble') as well as a play and operetta.
Even to me that sounds like another century.
Same, we had 'TAJOFF' on hot days, announced on a blackboard propped up on a chair on the stage in the main hall. You could take your Ties and Jackets off - woo hoo.
The school was established in 1525 or something, tradition and history everywhere, not always for the good.
Actually, thinking about it, the best thing about that place, apart from getting pissed on rowing trips, was the fact it was right opposite the Central High School for girls, and just down the road from Church High School for girls (I believe they have merged now) - my first few proper sexual experiences were with girls from those two establishments, apart from a particularly crazy (and very educational) few months with a psycho from Dame Allans 6th form.
Who would have thought Newcastle could support so many private schools back in the 70/80s?
The school was established in 1525 or something, tradition and history everywhere, not always for the good.
Actually, thinking about it, the best thing about that place, apart from getting pissed on rowing trips, was the fact it was right opposite the Central High School for girls, and just down the road from Church High School for girls (I believe they have merged now) - my first few proper sexual experiences were with girls from those two establishments, apart from a particularly crazy (and very educational) few months with a psycho from Dame Allans 6th form.
Who would have thought Newcastle could support so many private schools back in the 70/80s?
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 20th September 20:30
The only recollections of things 'out of ordinary' I have was from my RC primary school back in the early 80s. It was a really old Victorian Gothic building apparently where Bishops used to live and wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie with a wild thunderstorm raging, flashing lightning overhead and the wind howling - you get the picture. The cane was very much in use back then and I experienced it on a few occasions - and deservedly if I'm honest. But what struck me as odd was that PE lessons were always done in just our underwear and also there were many visits to the school from "nurse" whereby all pupils were required to strip off down to their underwear and undergo a visual inspection down the front and back of said garment(s) by "nurse" (which was actually several of them, and you'd go to whichever one was free) and then sent on your way. I'm not sure what age I'd have been but it was somewhere between 5 and 7 years old. Obviously at that age I never thought anything much of it at the time as you just go along with the flow and do as you're told, but 40 odd years later now I'm struggling to come up with a plausible reason for why these regular nether region 'inspections' by "nurse" were required for all pupils, nor why PE had to be done in our underwear and not some more appropriate exercise attire.
One other memorable recollection was one time when one of the 'nice' female teachers stopped me going to the main boys toilets for a piss, saying that the toilets were out of order and to use the private bathroom on the very top floor. It was a single room and a proper Victorian bathroom inside, complete with bath. I remember getting stopped by a different teacher enroute to explain why I was where I was, and where I was going (there were multiple routes/staircases to up to the upper floors and pupils had to take a longer, convulted route). I got up to the top floor and made me way to the bathroom, opened the door, only to discover the same female teacher from 5 mins prior was now in the bath, stark naked and soaping herself with her boobs partly on display through the soap bubbles!
Hugely embarrassed, I uttered an babble of 'sorrys' and was about to close the door again when she beckoned me in and told me to use the toilet but "try not to look" - the toilet was right next to the fking bath! I was about to piss my pants so used it and beat a hasty retreat! Again, I'd have only been about 5 or 6 years old.
100% true stories! I have no idea to this day why a teacher would be taking a bath in a school bathroom in the middle of the day, nor can I explain the reasons for the other activities in only underwear! WTF was going on in schools back then FFS ?!
By constrast, my middle school, high school and college experiences were completely uneventful.
One other memorable recollection was one time when one of the 'nice' female teachers stopped me going to the main boys toilets for a piss, saying that the toilets were out of order and to use the private bathroom on the very top floor. It was a single room and a proper Victorian bathroom inside, complete with bath. I remember getting stopped by a different teacher enroute to explain why I was where I was, and where I was going (there were multiple routes/staircases to up to the upper floors and pupils had to take a longer, convulted route). I got up to the top floor and made me way to the bathroom, opened the door, only to discover the same female teacher from 5 mins prior was now in the bath, stark naked and soaping herself with her boobs partly on display through the soap bubbles!
Hugely embarrassed, I uttered an babble of 'sorrys' and was about to close the door again when she beckoned me in and told me to use the toilet but "try not to look" - the toilet was right next to the fking bath! I was about to piss my pants so used it and beat a hasty retreat! Again, I'd have only been about 5 or 6 years old.100% true stories! I have no idea to this day why a teacher would be taking a bath in a school bathroom in the middle of the day, nor can I explain the reasons for the other activities in only underwear! WTF was going on in schools back then FFS ?!
By constrast, my middle school, high school and college experiences were completely uneventful.I was born in 1972 and left comprehensive school in 1989.
It might be because I grew up in the People's Republic of South Yorkshire (Sheffield) but I can't recall being beaten or having things chucked at me at all.
Granted, the schools I went to were probably a bit too liberal (I never wore a school uniform and rarely had homework) but reading some of these stories makes me thank my lucky stars I grew up when and where I did.
Most of my best mates had similar experiences and we've all done ok for ourselves so that's one in the eye for the 'never did me any harm' brigade.
It might be because I grew up in the People's Republic of South Yorkshire (Sheffield) but I can't recall being beaten or having things chucked at me at all.
Granted, the schools I went to were probably a bit too liberal (I never wore a school uniform and rarely had homework) but reading some of these stories makes me thank my lucky stars I grew up when and where I did.
Most of my best mates had similar experiences and we've all done ok for ourselves so that's one in the eye for the 'never did me any harm' brigade.
Also in Newcastle, but not the RGS
Ah the Barkel Bop.
Early 1980s.
It was a badge of honour to have Mr Barkel use the knuckle on his middle finger to smack you on the head. He was actually a great teacher. A sense of humour which would centre round him asking you when you last got a bop on the head. Whatever the answer, he'd reply with "it's about time for another one" and he'd get you.
In sharp contrast to a deputy head at the same middle school. He was unhinged. He would sit next to a kid, smile put his arm round them and say softly "Are you going to be one of my Dafties?". He'd then explode into a massive rage, order the kid into the corridor, make him bend over, then take runs up to slipper him on the arse.
It was a school with a pretty mixed demographic. A posh suburb si lots of children of university lecturers and lawyers, but also a lot of poorer kids, and children in care from the neighbouring not so posh areas. Guess which ones he targeted? Not the ones with the educated and influential parents, but the kids who by and large had no support at home.
Horrible old
.At high school in the first year we had to do woodwork. The teacher was a proper old b
d with a chip on his shoulder. He didn't like academically bright kids. I was one of these and also very bad at woodwork.I was making something and asked for some help. He dragged me out in front of the class and mocked me, asking me to how I planned to solve the problem I'd asked for advice on. I quite honestly suggested glue, to which he gleefully pranced around laughing, and putting on a silly posh accent saying "Gloo, Gloo, Gloo." To the laughter of classmates.
I was furious, but kept my 13 year old temper in check. He then, still using this mocking tone, asked me what I'd do it I needed to fix something at home. "Use Gloo would you sonny?"
I replied. "No sir, I expect I'd get a little man in to fix it. You know Sir, someone like yourself"
The class laughed and the teacher erupted. I can still remember the flecks of spit hitting my face as he turned purple and with eyes popping out of their sockets he threw me out of class.
I remember a stern head master giving me a very light touch telling off. He tried to suppress a laugh when I recounted the incident. The next day, the teacher called my Dad to tell him what had happened. My Dad was great. He told the teacher that indeed I would be right in getting a little man in as I was clearly crap at woodwork. He followed it up with something like, "Oh, while you're on, we've a few small jobs needing attention at home. Do you fancy popping round at the weekend for a bit of cash in hand?"
Edited by Wildcat45 on Friday 20th September 23:22
When I went through the school system it was very much as has been described. Flying blackboard rubbers, the dap (a giant gym shoe) and the cane became ever day occurrences, to the point were it was no longer a deterrent or punishment. It was a way, I am sure for poor teachers, in some way, to make up for a lack of teaching skill, good teachers never needed to beat up children.
There must have been, when I started at my last school at the age of 14 a requirement to stop the "violence". With one teacher handing out beatings was replaced by particularly vicious tongue lashings, even for the most minor infringements.
On this occasion a lad was call to the front of class. His crime was to try and help someone with a particularly tricky physics problem. It was within this lads nature to be helpful if he could.
The teacher reduced him to tears, we sat there absolutely stunned at the awful nastiness of the teachers words. One of the girls, obviously very concerned for the lad, (girls seem to be more mature at that age), took him out of the class, much to the annoyance of the teacher. He moved to try and stop her, us boys all stood up and he thought better of it. When the girl came back to the class the teacher started on her, she gave as good as she got. The end of lesson bell sounded, we were told to sit down, ignored him and went to the next lesson.
We never saw the lad again, he suffered a "breakdown" apparently. I sometimes wonder what happened to him and sincerely hope the events of that day are no more than a distant memory for him.
As for the teacher, he was absent for a few weeks and returned a very much different person, stayed for the rest of the school year and was gone the next.
A few years later I met the teacher, professionally, and was able to right royally fk him up, that was for you Andrew H.
There must have been, when I started at my last school at the age of 14 a requirement to stop the "violence". With one teacher handing out beatings was replaced by particularly vicious tongue lashings, even for the most minor infringements.
On this occasion a lad was call to the front of class. His crime was to try and help someone with a particularly tricky physics problem. It was within this lads nature to be helpful if he could.
The teacher reduced him to tears, we sat there absolutely stunned at the awful nastiness of the teachers words. One of the girls, obviously very concerned for the lad, (girls seem to be more mature at that age), took him out of the class, much to the annoyance of the teacher. He moved to try and stop her, us boys all stood up and he thought better of it. When the girl came back to the class the teacher started on her, she gave as good as she got. The end of lesson bell sounded, we were told to sit down, ignored him and went to the next lesson.
We never saw the lad again, he suffered a "breakdown" apparently. I sometimes wonder what happened to him and sincerely hope the events of that day are no more than a distant memory for him.
As for the teacher, he was absent for a few weeks and returned a very much different person, stayed for the rest of the school year and was gone the next.
A few years later I met the teacher, professionally, and was able to right royally f
k him up, that was for you Andrew H. Sounds like I got of pretty lightly! Fair amount of bullying going on and a few *ssh*le teachers but on the whole not a terrible time.
Had a great maths teacher who played cricket for Berks and could whizz a board rubber past your ear with amazing accuracy. But he really pushed and encouraged everyone and made sure we all got decent grades at O level.
Had a brilliant RE teacher, little Welsh guy who used to teach and organise rugby during lunchtimes and a lovely young english teacher who took us on lots of theatre trips where she turned a blind eye to detours to local pubs (at 15)
The only teacher who was universally hated was the French teacher, just a nasty little bully. One day he picked on the wrong person and reduced one of the girls to tears. Her boyfriend who was also a pupil boxed for the county and beat the hell out the the teacher and threw him out of a first floor window. Luckily onto a grass bank so he only fell a few feet! He was suspended and the teacher left.
Had a great maths teacher who played cricket for Berks and could whizz a board rubber past your ear with amazing accuracy. But he really pushed and encouraged everyone and made sure we all got decent grades at O level.
Had a brilliant RE teacher, little Welsh guy who used to teach and organise rugby during lunchtimes and a lovely young english teacher who took us on lots of theatre trips where she turned a blind eye to detours to local pubs (at 15)
The only teacher who was universally hated was the French teacher, just a nasty little bully. One day he picked on the wrong person and reduced one of the girls to tears. Her boyfriend who was also a pupil boxed for the county and beat the hell out the the teacher and threw him out of a first floor window. Luckily onto a grass bank so he only fell a few feet! He was suspended and the teacher left.
We had an Irish physics teacher who was a damn good teacher, but he had no issues using the air rifle that was used in some of the physics experiments to control the class. He also used to like participating in the sports classes so he could give the kids a good kick on the football pitch.
Went to Catholic school and one of the priests was known to be a little bit psychotic. In RE, a kid next to me wouldn’t stop drumming his fingers on the table despite being told not to do so.
Silently the priest picks up a large bible, walks quietly behind him and whacks him with full force around the back of the head where the momentum of this causes him to smack his head on the desk. A 2 for 1 deal as it were. Kid’s in tears and shock and later said he’d tell him mum which wasn’t a particularly clever idea as she was a god fearing Jamaican woman who immediately took the priest’s side and gave him what for.
Parents evenings were also fun. Teachers moaning that you’re a bit thick and laying into you and they’d be no question of your parents sticking up for you, they’d always side with the teachers and give you an ear-bashing on the way home.
Silently the priest picks up a large bible, walks quietly behind him and whacks him with full force around the back of the head where the momentum of this causes him to smack his head on the desk. A 2 for 1 deal as it were. Kid’s in tears and shock and later said he’d tell him mum which wasn’t a particularly clever idea as she was a god fearing Jamaican woman who immediately took the priest’s side and gave him what for.
Parents evenings were also fun. Teachers moaning that you’re a bit thick and laying into you and they’d be no question of your parents sticking up for you, they’d always side with the teachers and give you an ear-bashing on the way home.
We had a physics teacher - Hughie Blackwood - who ruled his lab with a rod of iron. Or to be more exact a wooden metre stick. Any transgression would result in it smacking down on the bench microns from your fingers. But - he never ever had to resort to corporal punishment and was a superb teacher, and when you got to 5th and 6th year treated you as an adult.
I went to public school in Rutland. As far as I was/am aware no paedophile activity ever went on. You were however caned if you transgressed seriously enough. I was caned, I deserved it. I didn't go seeking revenge/harbouring issues that would keep a psychoanalyst in work for donkey's years/ look through a child's eyes 30 years later with scene perfect memory etc.
I was in 1st year at comp when corporal punishment was scrapped, but sadly not late enough to be subjected to it on a solitary occassion.
My 'crime' occured in a maths lesson. Our usual teacher was unavailable so one of the 'old school' teachers stood in. He was the sort who ruled through a combination of fear & a rod of iron wrapped in barbed wire.
We were told to work through a series of exercises which we duly got on with. I was altered by a prod in the back with a rule, and the lad behind whispered 'Hey Littleowl, can I borrow your rubber?'. Without looking round or making a sound I passed it back to him.
Teach exploded : "Who was that? Who was talking?"
Lad behind me puts his hand up and comes clean : "Me sir, it was me."
Teach turns a shade of crimson and bellows to him to come out to the front.
"Now, what were you messing about for?" he asks.
"I wasn't sir. I only asked Littleowl if I could borrow a rubber".
I put my own hand up and said, 'It's true sir, he only asked if he could borrow a rubber, that's all".
Big mistake
Teach turmed purple and screamed : "Who the hell asked you? Did I say you could speak? You come here as well!"
He whacked us both across both hands with a steel rule and rapped us on the temples with his knuckles and screamed at us to sit down and shut up, the horrible old bd. 
To this day I am convinced that he was some sort of war criminal. I'm all for being accountable for your wrongdoings, but am not sorry that c.p. was ditched, especially for 'transgressions' like mine
Teach retired about a year later, a lot of the old school teachers did. I think that a lot of them couldn't handle the fact they could no longer dish out indiscriminate beatings whenever the fancy took them. I can imagine Teach smacking someone round the head with a milk bottle, for being on the 'wrong' side of the corridor, like the poor unfortunate in that post a few pages back
My 'crime' occured in a maths lesson. Our usual teacher was unavailable so one of the 'old school' teachers stood in. He was the sort who ruled through a combination of fear & a rod of iron wrapped in barbed wire.
We were told to work through a series of exercises which we duly got on with. I was altered by a prod in the back with a rule, and the lad behind whispered 'Hey Littleowl, can I borrow your rubber?'. Without looking round or making a sound I passed it back to him.
Teach exploded : "Who was that? Who was talking?"
Lad behind me puts his hand up and comes clean : "Me sir, it was me."
Teach turns a shade of crimson and bellows to him to come out to the front.
"Now, what were you messing about for?" he asks.
"I wasn't sir. I only asked Littleowl if I could borrow a rubber".
I put my own hand up and said, 'It's true sir, he only asked if he could borrow a rubber, that's all".
Big mistake
Teach turmed purple and screamed : "Who the hell asked you? Did I say you could speak? You come here as well!"He whacked us both across both hands with a steel rule and rapped us on the temples with his knuckles and screamed at us to sit down and shut up, the horrible old b
d. To this day I am convinced that he was some sort of war criminal. I'm all for being accountable for your wrongdoings, but am not sorry that c.p. was ditched, especially for 'transgressions' like mine
Teach retired about a year later, a lot of the old school teachers did. I think that a lot of them couldn't handle the fact they could no longer dish out indiscriminate beatings whenever the fancy took them. I can imagine Teach smacking someone round the head with a milk bottle, for being on the 'wrong' side of the corridor, like the poor unfortunate in that post a few pages back
Edited by littleowl on Sunday 22 September 15:42
popeyewhite said:
I went to public school in Rutland. As far as I was/am aware no paedophile activity ever went on. You were however caned if you transgressed seriously enough. I was caned, I deserved it. I didn't go seeking revenge/harbouring issues that would keep a psychoanalyst in work for donkey's years/ look through a child's eyes 30 years later with scene perfect memory etc.
Mirrors my experience at a public school in the west of England 40 years ago. Fagging, some corporal punishment, spartan conditions but no paedos and little bullying. It was all quite good fun in a sort of Boys Own way. I guess that rules me out of any compo.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff