British schools, early and mid 20th Century: Site Contents

Schools in Britain in the early and mid-20th century were very different from those of today — not only in buildings, uniforms and lessons, but in attitudes, discipline and expectations. Many children left school at 14, boys and girls were often taught separately, and strict routines were accepted as part of everyday life. Yet alongside the hardships were friendships, small pleasures, proud achievements and memories that stayed vivid for a lifetime.

The pages in this section describe what school life was really like for ordinary children, as remembered by people who were there. They include Victorian-style town schools, grammar schools, rural schools and later comprehensive schools, together with recollections of classrooms, writing lessons, school dinners, punishments, uniforms, examinations and playground life. There are also school photographs and firsthand accounts which bring the period alive far more vividly than official histories alone can do

As throughout this website, the emphasis is on everyday experience — how children felt about school, how teachers behaved, what parents expected and how education fitted into the society of the time. Some memories are amusing, some moving and some distinctly uncomfortable by modern standards, but together they offer a revealing picture of growing up in Britain during the first half of the 20th century.

Scroll down for clickable links to individual pages which are shown under descriptive headings.