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?

I remember doing mine in leftover wallpaper, I started high school in 1995.

Nope. Still required in all my DC schools. Heavy duty plastic covers tho; the bookshop will usually do it for an extra charge.

Yes and some teachers insisted on sticky backed plastic which was a nightmare for bubbles. I used to be allowed to choose a roll of wallpaper specifically for the job and in gcse Year I bought gorgeous thick wrapping paper that was really pretty. I was so happy my mum let me.

dh and I were explaining this to our dds recently who all thought it was the most bizarre thing ever. Dh and I went to different schools.

We did this in the 90s!

Yes we did it (90's )
My dad brought me some old books a while back from a clear out and it was a blast from the past. I tended to cover mine with posters from magazines & sticky back plastic. So you get a fairly good picture of who I fancied through the 90's

Did it in the 70s/80s.

We had to take our hymn books into assembly every morning, there was a teacher checking on the door. I lost my hymn book at some point and just took a different (wrapped) book into assembly every day. Didn't get rumbled! I don't remember what happened at the end of the year though, maybe I'd found it by then.

We didn't have to but we chose to after the first couple of years. We would get loads of wallpaper samples from focus. I started secondary in 1999.

Memory unlocked! Thanks OP

I used to love doing this!

My books were covered in all sorts 😂 Pics cut out from J17, Smash Hits, Kerrang .. and much, much graffiti from me! ‘I love Morton Harket’ [still do] and ‘Sarah ❤️ Matt Goss’ regularly appeared in fancy lettering, along with animal doodles and sketches of buildings done when bored in class. The teachers gave up and only got annoyed by swear words in the end.

I started secondary school in 2007. Born in 96. I remember backing books for Spanish, but that was just for fun. Other lessons didn't require it.

Yep I did in the 1990s sometimes with Christmas paper

I started in 2000 and this was expected for all books as our first homework of term

I started in 96 and we definitely did this. I was a whiz at sticky back plastic by the end of year 7.

Pretty normal.
It helped keep the books in better condition too.

We didn’t have to, but I remember doing this to mine because I’ve lays liked decorating stuff. Some other kids did too. Mid 2000s.

I started secondary school in 97 and I had to do this!

I started a few years before you and we had to do it, but I think only in the first year. I suspect it was to give something for homework. We didn't have any textbooks to cover, though, which is probably why it was originally done, to make books last longer. I doubt any schools do it now, as they get through exercise books so quickly these days, except maybe private schools where they still have textbooks.

Started secondary school in 1976 - which makes me feel so bloody old! - and had to do that. I used to get old sample books from a place that sold wallpaper and cover them in those, but by the time I got to the fourth year I was all about the brown paper.

I’m in Ireland and it’s still common to do this in Primary & Secondary school.

@godmum56
we did this too! When I saw this thread I was wondering if I was the only one with a “rough book” system

We had to in the 1970s, and when DD started high school in 2011 the first homework was to cover her excercsie books.

Left school in 1976, we had to cover all exercise books all through secondary school

Started secondary in 1991 and we were expected to back ours. Most of us used posters from Smash Hits, one kid used wallpaper, some used comics or football magazines. You were really judged on what you backed your book in.

I was at secondary for most of the 90s and it was definitely a thing - not sure if for every subject, but I do remember collaging and/or plastic-covering lots of folders and books!

We did. I wrapped mine in pages of Smash Hits.

DC had to wrap theirs at prep school not so long ago, but it had to be clear sticky plastic only. Anything else resulted in public humiliation.