How often did your school bring out… The Apparatus?

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

My school very rarely opened it out. My primary school didn’t have a hall until I got to year 5 and in those last two years I spent at primary, they brought out the apparatus maybe once that I can recall. It was brand new, why didn’t they use it more?!

But my husband said they always used to have it out at his school!

Ooh just the word makes my tummy flip in excitement! Ours was an outdoor 'apparatus' and the weather (and possibly the planets) had to be perfectly aligned for it to be brought out from whatever mysterious place it was kept!

It was a permanent fixture. Didn’t have those hoop things at the end though. Can’t remember how we used it either (I am in my 60s and hated gym).

Outdoor apparatus???? Tis witchcraft!

I’ve only just now realised what this was for! We had it in my school but the purpose of if was always a big mystery!

Very rarely. Early to mid 90s.

Didn’t have anything like that at my crappy comp. In fact, the roof leaked in the main sports hall for years, so we rarely got to do indoor PE. 😐

At Infant school all the time there were 3 different ones 2 climbing ones and one with those Impossible too stay on Ropes they were brilliant and we had one of thiose horrible box things that people crushed there toes on or fingers

Didnt use one in juniors very much

@MargaretThursday I think we might be the same person...Those ropes were my nemesis.
Also trying to vault without a spring board was some mad person's idea of never succeeding.

I have no idea - I remember it but not how often it was used. I was also so envious of the kids who could climb the rope, I had no strength.

I’ve just revisited my 60s childhood and I’m pretty sure the apparatus came out every PE lesson. We used to do obstacle courses round the hall, vaulting the horse and climbing the ropes. No wonder I was a skinny kid! All that exercise and so much fun 🤩

I hadn't that bloody thing and everything gym related

Loads and omg I hated it.

It was permanently out! Despite being rather old (60) the school I attended was a specialist sports college. We even had school squash courts in the 1970s and an all weather hockey and football pitch.

Ahh I’m jealous of all the people who had it out all the time!

I hated the apparatus with a passion. And the vaulting horse. And the medicine ball. What is the point of a ball that doesn't bounce and weighs nearly as much as you do?

I remember a few times when I was in the infants (I used to love climbing the ropes) but either never or hardly ever in the juniors. I did used to wonder why they had it and never used it.

Never. Honestly, I think we just did roly polys on the blue mats for years in PE.

Once they brought out the horse, but all the girls in my class just ran up to it and stopped. The teacher was really annoyed at us.

Bloody never, although it was used for the set of the school play (draped in a sheet to represent a mountain).

Years of exceptionally light use have clearly paid off as my daughter attends the same school and it looks exactly the same thirty odd years later 😅

Agh the hymn sheets has unlocked a memory for me but I can’t quite picture it! Would love to see some old-skool photos! Pun intended!!

I never made it up the ropes though, was too chubby 🤣🤣

Do primary schools these days still have apparatus?! Or is it ruled out on H&S grounds?!

Early 80s primary. Every Friday. Thats how you'd know it was Friday because the apparatus would be out in the hall.

Probably 3 or 4 times a year when I was in school. My child has never been allowed to use it in 5 years at primary school. I may ask the head if it is ever used!

The words “ The Apparatus” triggered memories! Didn’t have it at primary as tiny school but did at secondary. Not often. I found it intimidating rather than a treat.

Remember a difficult gym move called an “Arab spring”. Can’t imagine that term is still used…

I spent ages looking for pictures of the big pulley system hymn sheets. I can't find any ANYWHERE. I also really want to see them!

The overhead ones were a big pack of the.the Come and Worship bangers, and we also had some rogue individual ones on sort of normal flip charts easels including things like "Think of a world without any flowers".

Ours was also part of the school play set- I recall a sheet lowering down on us off it, at a dramatic moment on purpose. In my memory it's because we were doing a reenactment of the Aberfan disaster - but I can't quite believe we really would have done that!!!