School then and now
History · Key Stage 1 · The School
Writing without paper
Long ago, many children wrote on a SLATE, not paper. A slate is a small board. You wrote on it with chalk. Then you wiped it clean and used it again. Paper and pencils were expensive, so a slate saved money.
Strict rules
Schools long ago were often very strict. Children sat in straight rows, in silence. Talking without permission could mean punishment. Many schools were much stricter than schools are today. Rules have changed a lot, even in just a few decades.
No computers at all
Computers did not exist in most schools until the 1980s, and even then there were very few of them. Before that, everything was written by hand. There was no internet to look things up on. Every fact had to come from a book, a teacher, or memory.
A day at school, 1960 and today
In 1960, a school day often started with everyone standing for a hymn. Lessons meant copying from a blackboard onto a slate or paper. Lunch was cooked in a big kitchen, eaten in silence at long tables. There were no computers, no tablets, no interactive whiteboards. Today, lessons often use a screen. Children can talk quietly while they work. Some homework happens on a computer at home. Same building, very possibly, but a completely different school day inside it.
Ask about real schooldays
Ask a grown-up you know about their own school. What did they write on? What were the rules? Did they have computers at all? Their real memory is far more interesting than any single fact written in a book. Ask them today if you can.