Figure 1.--This is the short pants suit Inwore at 9 and 10. Note my flat cap and the schoolmcaps the other boys wear.

I attended grammar school in the 1960s. The photographs shown here were taken was 1964. My mates and I were 12 years old and attending South Shields Grammar Technical School for Boys. Our uniform was a navy blue blazer, grey trousers, dark blue and yellow tie. We had caps for the first two years from 11 years old upto 13 years. Rules about the uniform were strict at our school when we first entered school as an 11 year old but became very lax after 3/4 years. We always had to look smart coming to and leaving school which meant fastening blazer and wearing cap. In school you could never remove your jacket without permission from a member of staff. The pupils were selected (11+ exam) from about 12 primary schools. None of the primary schools in our area required a uniform.

Chronology

I attended grammar school in the 1960s. The photographs shown here were taken in 1964 during my first year.

My Family

I didn't have any brothers. I had one sister 2 years older who liked to boss me around which I hated so we frequently argued. Very caring but restrictive parents who liked to know where I was and what I was doing all the time. They restricted my playing with other children with their concern and I was never allowed to play outside when it was dark so I spent a lot of time playing on my own indoors. On my own I became envious of other boys with less restrictive parents.

My Clothes

We boys had much less to say about the clothes we wore than boys today. Mum always bought the items she liked and could afford. Even when I was 15 I can remember having an argument in a shop with her over a shirt I wanted but she thought was too 'bright'.

Primary School

None of the primary schools in our area required a uniform. In primary school there was no uniform but most wore grey or khaki shorts, a plain shirt and jumper. Whilst at Primary School I would have worn whatever were my 'best' clothes at the time. They were cheaper to buy than long trousers so if you wore long trousers you were considered to be rich and 'posh'. Yes the socks would be long to help keep your legs warm but as they was no uniform they could be any colour but tended to be gray becaus they were the cheapest. I remember wearing sandals in Primary school before the age of 11 years. They were usually brown.

Suits

I had a suit with short trousers when I was aged 9-10 years. We tended to wear shorts all the time. I didn't wear it to school though--my mum was afraid I might get it dirty. It was a fawn suit that I wore with matching kneesocks and black shoes. It was for church and other special occasions. I wore it with a kind of flat cap until I started wearing long pants after entering the grammar. Most of my friends wore a school cap.

Figure 2.--This is the uniform we wore at my grammar school in 1964.

Grammar School

My mates and I were 12 years old and attending South Shields Grammar Technical School for Boys. The pupils were selected (11+ exam) from about 12 primary schools. Yes it was a very big thing to get accepted. Your parents put pressure on you to succeed similar to present day parents wanting their offspring to qualify for university. Our school was non-denominational so had no connection with a church.

Uniform

Our uniform was a navy blue blazer, grey trousers, dark blue and yellow tie. We had caps for the first two years from 11 years old upto 13 years. There were no rules about shorts. You could wear either short or long trousers. I remember in my first year wearing shorts for about 1 month then changed to longs. Most boys wore shorts when they started school in September but soon changed to longs. We all wanted to be 'grown up' at our new school so longs were prefared. I can't remember anyone being teased about wearing shorts. I think that people just felt sorry for them. A few wore shorts during the summer months but not many. Kneesocks were always worn with shorts. A few boys had the ones with colored stripes at the top, most just wore plain grey socks. We wore black laceup shoes. Everyone wore the same uniform except that the sixth form (aged 16-18) had a different badge on their blazers and a different patterned tie, though still blue and yellow like the rest of the school.

Some mothers probably did object to buying shorts that were not used too much but even in those days all boys wanted to dress the same so once the trend in the class was to wear long trousers everyone wanted to do so and it was a strong parent who forced their wishes on their sons. I remember wearing my school shorts when playing after school during the summer months so I still got plenty of wear out of them.

I don't think we really discussed our uniform. It was one of those things you just had to accept. Parents were proud of you wearing it though. None of the other secondary schools had uniform in those days so to be seen wearing your uniform marked you out as someone who had passed the exam and a cut above the rest. Your uniform was usually your best set of clothes so when you arrived home in the evening your parent told you to take it off straight away so as not to get it dirty or worn out. If you went somewhere special where you wore your 'best' clothes then you wore your uniform.

Figure 3.--This is the uniform we wore at my grammar school in 1964.

Regulations

Rules about the uniform were strict at our school when we first entered school as an 11 year old but became very lax after 3/4 years. We always had to look smart coming to and leaving school which meant fastening blazer and wearing our caps.
Caps: We were susposed to wear our caps to and from school. Most of us didn't. We used to put our caps into our blazer pockets either into our school bags until we got close to the school. I can remember being caught by a member of staff as my friend and I were walking to school with our caps pushed in our pockets. We had to report to the Lower School Head who threatened to cane us if we were caught again. Luckily we never got caught again. We didn't have to tip our caps.
Jackets: In school you could never remove your jacket without permission from a member of staff.

Secondary Moderns

None of the secondary modern schools had uniforms. Most pupils wore similar clothes to at Primary scholl though some parents tried to copy the Grammar School uniform by dressing their boy in a jacket and tie. I can't remember any problems at all from Secondary pupils with calling of names or anything else. My route to and from school did not go near any other school so I didn't pass any secondary pupils. Secondary pupils who lived near me were the friends I played with and we had better things to talk about.

Long Pants

I can't remember what I said when I wanted long trousers. Proabably that my legs where cold and that 'all the other boys in my class had long trousers' even though they didn't. I expect she said no at first but as the weather became colder she must have felt sorry for me.

After School

After school you wore ordinary jeans/trousers shirts and jumpers. During the summer I mainly wore shorts and t-shirts.

I always enjoyed wearing my uniform and by the age of 14 often wore it all day except when playing games, football etc. with my friends. I had a friend who was always perfectly dressed. He always wore his blazer with the three buttons fastened which I copied. He invited me to go to the cinema with him one evening. He came to call for me wearing his uniform with his jacket fastened. I put on my uniform and similarly fastened the jacket. After that I always got a kick out of going around in my uniform with the jacket fully fastened.

Church

We did not go to church as a school group but did attend as a family on Sundays. Boys tended to be dressed in their 'best' clothes and for many, including me, this meant their school uniform. I think parents enjoyed showing off that their sons attended the Grammar School.

Cubs and Scouts

I was in the cubs and scouts until I was 13 years old. I wore the normal uniform the the early sixties of kharki etc.