Wondering if my secondary school was just odd, or does anyone else remember this?

[Mycatishere]

When I started secondary school (in 1992) it was expected that we would ‘back’ our exercise books. This could be in leftover wallpaper, wrapping paper, plastic covers you could get from WH Smiths. Geography books had to be backed in a map. Some kids used cling film.

I remember being annoyed with my mum for backing all my books in brown paper. I wanted something pretty.

Just me?

Yes! In sticky back plastic. I remember the close concentration of peeling the backing away and using a ruler to scrape along the plastic so there were no bubbles.

children still have to do this now. So annoying

Yep, we had to do this! We could use anything - posters, wrapping paper, clear plastic etc but they had to be backed. It was our first homework in year 7!

My DD1 is currently in year 10 and she has to back her books. She came home in year 7 asking for stuff to back her books with as she had been told to by her teachers. I gave her some wrapping paper to use. Poor thing got BOLLOCKED as apparently they were only allowed to use clear sticky back plastic . 😳

I left school in 2002 and we did this. I mostly used sticky-back plastic, sometimes the coloured kind if I could get it, but I recall once covering an A-level maths notebook in bubble wrap.

There was a real knack to applying the sticky -back plastic without creases and bubbles and I was well jel of girls who could do it flawlessly.

Yes I left in early 90s and all the way thru primary and secondary the "homework" from every class was to cover your books, I never bought a school book in my time, we were able to rent them from the school so occasionally got new versions but often they had many previous owners and in some cases part of the "homework" was to sticky tape it together for the year,

I always hated this because all my house had for wallpaper was woodchip 😂😂

1989-1994 I had to do this.

We had to in the early 00s. Used fablon!

Yeah, we did it in the 80s/90s. Used old sod ends of wrapping paper or wallpaper my Mum had lying around .

We had to in the 80s and it was a homework

I use to hate doing it

The "other" first homeworks from first year of secondary school was making name plates for your desk. So piece of white card folded over and writing your name so you could sit it on the front of the desk, literally every class got us making one for each, after about a week no one used them anymore and gave each others names to the teachers

I had to. My sister taught in a different local school where it was optional. She used to moan that it was the prissy girls who would cover their books and make her bags of marking significantly heavier.

I did mine in wallpaper in first and second year, then in third year found that WH Smith sold book covers in different colours so bought those instead. They could then be reused when a book was filled. I did have to learn how to cover books without bubbles and with perfect corners in sticky backed plastic though as a student librarian, it was part of the "book in a bag" test to "qualify" you to work in the school library in breaks and frees.

My DD and Ds did it
2006 and 2010 started secondary

Yep I had to do this in the 90s but only with French textbooks for some reason. I used a poster of David Beckham.

We had to.this was the States, 80s and 90s. Anytime you go shopping and get sturdy paper bags you think, I'll keep this. Great book cover....

Yes but only text books. We used to have hymn practice once a week and if you didn't want to buy the book you had to borrow one and cover it. Being caught with an uncovered school hymn book was a terrible misdemeanor as you would be called out in front of the whole scool and I used to dream about it a lot!

We did this too. I remember having to cover books in sticky back plastic as part of detention too

Students at my school still have to cover their work books!

at school late 70's early 80's. very common to use poster pages from Jackie magazine if the teacher was cool, woodchip wallpaper otherwise.

Oh god yes.

I did my daughters in year 7 with sticky back plastic and then put them in plastic covers - it’s great for protecting them.

I started secondary in '97 and we had to do this. We'd get into trouble if they did a check and out book wasn't covered. It was usually wallpaper or a good quality brown paper 😆

What is stay material please?

Yep and I left secondary school in 2005!

I remember doing this in the 90s. The books were not very sturdy so covering them helped them last. My kids books are much bigger and seem stronger, much posher too, with their school name, badge and subject printed on the front so they don’t ask for them to be covered.