Most ridiculous rule when you were at school

[Anotherrungup]

I was born in the 70s. Boys weren’t allowed to wear long trousers until they were in junior school! Thermal comfort was a privilege reserved for older children! At senior school it was ‘proving’ to the teacher that you’d had a shower after games - creepy as fuck.

OMG yes. I had forgotten this. Old fashioned school in Wiltshire

1960s - boys were not allowed to stand at the bottom of the stairs in case they could see up girls' skirts. Boys and girls were not allowed to stand closer than 3ft (this was a rough rule nobody measured it). Girls were not allowed to wear patent leather shoes in case they reflected their underwear.

We thought these rules were stupid at the time but in view of the number of reported sexual assaults on girls these days maybe they were very sensible. I'm still not sure about the shoes one though.

We had a one way system in the corridors.So in Y10, I was ALWAYS late to Spanish. Because it was right next door to my English room, but in the wrong direction. No exceptions, I had to walk round the entire school.

Non really
I'm a baby boomer. Teachers were fun and more approachable.. both boys and teachers had long hair.. we all seemed to behave.. no strict rules on uniform/ PE kits etc. We did our O levels.. had career advice.. option to go to 6th form/ college/ apprenticeships etc. I loved school! And still meet up with old school friends.. we have all retired.. unfortunately some have passed away..
I can't remember bullying or anything like that.

Having to open our towels after showering to prove we were wet, not just on our shoulders above the towel. Then about 2 minutes to get dry and arrive at next lesson on time.
For a few weeks, having to run 4 times round the athletics track before being allowed to play tennis (so I only got to play tennis if I cheated).
Fountain pens only, very messy.
I think there were rules for the length of a split in our skirts.
Not being allowed to skip PE due to very severe period pain.

I was born in the 60s and went to a 250yo school with some very odd ideas.

-Hats and blazers must be worn in public. Or in winter, navy cotton gaberdine coats instead. Waterproof coats were for wimps.

-White tennis knickers with regulation 5 lines of lace must be worn under tennis skirts.

-Sturdy grey PE knickers must be worn under hockey skirts.

-Bras must be white or taupe and FULL CUP!😁

Despite their obsession with the exact uniform, they failed to notice that making 15yos wear gym slips (think St Trinians) made us a target for every pervert in the county.

Not being allowed in Woolworths in school uniform and NEVER be seen in Kelly's Milk Bar, which was next to a cinema that only showed porn so Kelly's did attract a certain type of clientel....

When girls took options, one of our 'options,' had to be Home Economics.

Oh, and hems must be no more than 4" above or below the knee. If the offending item of clothing was suspected of being longer or shorter, one was required to kneel in the corridor while the senior mistress produced a tape measure.
If non-regulation, having to take off gymslip or skirt, put on lab coat, and rehem the gymslip/skirt in the HE room at lunchtime 😠

You’ve reminded me of the knickers rule 🤣🤣

Ours were waste high burgundy numbers
We had regular checks to make sure we were wearing them
These weren’t just for sports either

We had bottle green PE knickers with our name embroidered on them

Embroidered ! That's posh. We had to sew name labels in ours. Iron-on labels were not acceptable.

I felt ridiculously racy and self indulgent when I came to iron labels into my ds' uniform. 😂

At my convent school in the 1980s the highest levels of ridiculousness were reserved for the PE “games” kit rules.

We played netball and hockey in the winter and there was a different uniform for each, plus different shirts and socks depending if we were playing “house” or “form” that week woe betide you if you accidentally brought in the wrong kit.
You absolutely weren’t allowed to wear the wrong one and had to play in your underwear.

They prevented you from borrowing someone else’s by making you embroider your full name on everything, and having 6 different house colours.

So for hockey and netball the black skirts had a different number of pleats and they would count them. And if we were playing “house” then your shirt was white with a house colour stripe for netball but full-coloured in house colours for hockey, but both were plain white for “form” days. And black hockey socks for form days, white socks always for netball but black socks with house colour stripe for house hockey.
Then we wore “gym knickers” under our skirts. Plain black for form, black with house colour stripe for house. 🤯

Nobody ever worked out the algorithm for deciding which lesson would be which of the 4 possibilities, though rumour abounded it was tied to the church calendar and date of Easter.

All girls grammar school in the 60s:

Black cotton short-sleeved gym romper (like a more baggy leotard) for PE and we had to embroider our full name on the back in large letters so it could be seen across the gym.

Velour boater hats with a ribbon worn in the first and second year - and gymslips in those years too.

We had to make our own PE skirt in sewing lessons - full box pleats! (Do a twirl on the hockey field and you were showing your navy blue gym knickers to all and sundry.)

After a spate of purses being stolen out of bags and coats, it was decreed that every girl should (somehow) sew a zipped pocket into her skirt. I presume they wanted you to unpick part of the seam and put a pocket and zip in, but it's not an easy thing for most people to do. These were checked in registration by form tutors, and I think they must have realised how unreasonable it was so when we just showed them the skirt's zip fastener they just said OK and ticked the box.

Only PE kit for inside & outside. There was no PE hoodie, jumper, sweatshirt. Bare arms & legs.

One winter day playing netball. Ruddy freezing, snowing, windy. We were in airtex short sleeved shirts and netball skirts, short socks & plimsolls.
Teacher stood there in full length (faux I hope) fur coat with matching muffler and hat (yes, really) telling us it wasn't cold and to get on with the game. I swear she hated us.