Figure 1.--These prep schoolboys wears bright red blazers with distinctive black vertical stripes. Note the collared sweaters they wear with their blazers. |
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Assesing English schools can be quite complicated because of the many different types of schools. Most schools, except for primary schools, adopted blazers aspart od the school uniform. There were even some primary schools, especially Anglican primary schools that had blazers. There were, however, many variations among schools and over time concerning blazers. The standard at many British state secondary schools was and continues to be a plain black blazer. Many private schools, especially the preparatory schools had much more colorful blazers.
Virtually all preparatory school boys wore blazers by the 1920s. A few schools still had Eton jackets and collars. Most schools, however, had adopted soft collars and colorful school blazers. Prep school boys
continue to wear blazers with a tie. A few have discontinued them, but most schools
still have blazers. The boys mostly wear them to and from school and
while at school mostly wear their jumpers or during the summer just a shirt.
An increasing number of schools in the 1990s are dropping the blazer
and adopting a more informal uniform including open-necked shirts and sweat shirts.
English public schools were greatly influenced by the Eton school uniform. It varied from school to school, but short jackets and Eton collars were common at many schools. Blazers were worn on the games field, specially during the summer for cricket. Gradually public sdchools began adopting the blazer as the school uniform. Many schools replaced the Eton suits with blazers during the 1920s. By the 1930s the blazer was the primary uniform worn at the public school. The public school blazers tended to be more muted than those worn by prep school boys. Today many public schools have plain black blazers. The blazer continues to be worn at many public schools today, although many have adopted grey suits or tweed jackets.
Many grammar schools (academically selective secondary school) had very high standards. Often they tried to follow the traditions of the public
schools (exclusive private secondary schools). As a result, many grammar schools gave great attention to the school uniform.
Secondary modern schools were the secondary schools for the less academically talented children. Primary children at 11 tokk the "11-plus" exams. Those who did well went to the grammar schools, the other children went to secondary moderns. The secondary moderns in modern England have been replaced by comprehensives which like American high schools accomodate a wide vaariety of abilities on a non-selectyive basis.
Comprehensive schools were created in the late 1960s and 1970s as school uniform was going out of favor in England. Movies and TV shows commionly made fun ("took the mickey") of boys in traditiinal school uniform. Many comprehensives gave little attention or in fact adopted no uniform at all. Others required a basic uniform of tie and blazer. Many comprehensives were created from existing grammar or secondary modern school and often continued the existing uniform. Boys at comprehensives still commonly wore blazers in the 1980s, but in the 1990s many schools stopped requiring them and boys began coming to school in their jumpers.
Related Blazer Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Main school uniform blazer page]
[Main blazer page]
[Australian blazers]
[English blazers]
[New Zealand blazers]
[Scottish blazers]
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