Figure 1.--This boys is hard at work on a class assignment. He wears a sweater, shorts, and knee socks--standard classroom attire during the 1980s. Notice the matching trim on the sweater and kneesocks. Also note the old wooden desk he is working at. |
The trend toward coeducation continued at British prep schools during the 1980s. It was becoming much more accepted in the 1980s, but always a necesitating considerable adjustment as each school decided to accept girls. (For some reason girls schools rarely accepted boys.) The transition was no doubt eased by the increasing number of women teachers. We notice more modern school furniture and facilities at many schools, although the old-style wooden desks were still quite common. State schools were still coomonly better equipped than mant parep schools. School uniforms continued to become more casual with many schools dropping both caps and ties. Many schools changed from short to long trousers, especially for the older boys. Grey Terelyn shorts and kneesocks were still commonly worn. Some preparatory schools had corduroy uniforms. This was not the most common style uniform, but was worn at a few schools. Sometimes the jackets and shorts do not match because they were bought at different times.
