Oh to be a parent in bygone days

[Whoateallthesoddingbiscuits]

Imagine the scene. You’re a parent of primary aged children. They bring home their PE kit once a week. Books and stationary are provided by school. They can take a non-specified pencil case if they want. Heck, they can even wear a yellow pony tail if they want instead of a navy one.

Homework might be a project on animals or transport over a term. Obviously, you’d still do things like reading, spelling, times tables. You can do maths or English with them if you want, without being told that there is only one way to skin a cat. If they know a great way to skin a cat, you accept it, rather than
confusing/boring the wits out of them by teaching them another ten ways.

There is no Google classrooms.
There is no email.
There is no WhatsApp.
There aren’t several additional messaging apps to check.
Instead, every couple of weeks there is a letter in their bag.

THERE IS HARDLY ANY ADMIN AND NO LAST MINUTE AD HOC REQUESTS

I had a uniform in my CofE primary. I had to leave as the bullying was terrible. My other primary had no uniform.

I agree with you @Whoateallthesoddingbiscuits and when my 2 were at school (the early noughties to the early 2010s,) it was starting to get this way for the last 3-4 years they were there. (The PITA way!)

When they started, life seemed simpler, school was simpler, and school was more fun. You could buy a £3 shirt and a £4 skirt from Tesco, and get a cheap and cheerful, generic PE kit. Also, the school day was 6 hours - 9am to 3pm. They had homework once a week. It took 2 hours to do. You were allowed to take them out of school for 10 authorised days in any given academic year. No questionsn asked.

All the bullshit over not being able to keep them off school for a single school day without a fine or a warning, having to have THEIR exhorbitantly priced uniform and PE kit, having 8 hour school days, (8.15am to 4.15pm,) having 1-2 hours homework every night, and having to supply most stuff for them yourself, started 3-4 years before they left. I was so glad when they left. I would HATE to have children at school now.

I don't think life is exactly a picnic for the teachers either these days! I know quite a few who have left the profession, some after just 7-10 years.

My older dd went to a CofE primary.
The HT was very sensible. 10 days off for important/good reason was accepted.
Homework was mostly fun projects.
End of term assemblies.
But it was changing by the time she left...2010 was the tory coalition and then in 2015 they got into power and state* education has gone to hell since then.
*not that any tory MPs dc go to state schools...

My mum, who would have started primary school in '60 wore a school uniform from the word go. I didn't until I started secondary school! As I said, I did have a school jumper, but it certainly wasn't a compulsory thing.
I guess it just varied from county to county, and maybe even school to school. I started my school career in Somerset, did one year, then moved to Northamptonshire.

Corporal punishment was abolished in state education in the Education Act 1986.

So there's a fair delta between getting a crack for answering back and the current situation of filling in nineteen forms in triplicate to get on a minibus and getting texts night and day about relentless costume changes, as if we're all ladies maids to Marie Antoinette or starring in the Devil Wears Prada.