Burnley Grammar School

It is a great shame that there is so much negativity surrounding Phys.Ed during schooldays as I think I may have mentioned in one of my debut write ups some weeks ago. Many thanks to Laura for the acknowledgement by the way.

I have attended a number of former pupils and staff reunions at a couple of the places I’ve worked over the years. When former pupils come up to me they tend to be mostly positive memories, although not always I’m ready to admit. But it does appear that those who come to reunions from schooldays and want to meet old faces whether that’s old friends or teachers, are the type who had generally positive school experiences and also who have done well in life. I’ve been wary at reunions that I’m probably only seeing and hearing part of the overall picture and that much remains unknown. Most people do not come to school reunions and even if they knew about them I’m sure some would actively wish to avoid many they once shared school life with, whether in class with their peers or teachers.

I was always completely aware that there are plenty of kids who struggle with Phys.Ed in many different ways, whether it be what they are asked to partake in or how they are asked to present themselves. Then you’d get those who struggled but actually loved Phys.Ed despite their limitations. The ones I really got sharp with were those who chose not to make any effort at all, but that’s not as many as you’d think actually, even among the haters.

I used to frequently get given the annual task of showing the new intake around all of the school blocks on a full school tour a couple of months before they arrived proper in autumn. When we’d arrive in my area in the periods I took Phys.Ed (I did Maths as well) I’d bring everyone into the gym hall and use that as a place to invite questions. Nearly every time the questions were the same. 1) Do we have to go outside when it rains? Yes. 2) How long is Phys.Ed? 3) Do we still have to do Phys.Ed if we forget our kit? Most of the time a yes. 4) Can we choose what to wear? No. 5) Do we do Phys.Ed inside with or without a top? Both. 6) Do we have to do football/rugby/running etc, take your pick. Yes. 7) Can we wear a watch? Generally no, but sometimes allowed for personal run times. But the biggest question of all which never once failed to get asked in these situations from the new intake was 8) Will we have to take a shower? The answer was always yes, as every school I worked in including the foreign ones I was seconded to required them as part of Phys.Ed, and I think it’s the right thing to provide, even if I was aware when I answered this question that you could sense a collective intake of breath at times and shuffling body language amongst many of the group looking on with their fears surrounding nudity amongst each other being asked of them. Always one for reassurance I would often add that the doing of all these Phys.Ed things was often easier than overthinking it all, which for most it was.

Troubles, fears, or negativity in life is often halved by facing down the reasons head on. It really is. Perceptions matter too, and there are some dreadfully unfair and inaccurate perceptions about school, and Phys.Ed and those who took it specifically that are often allowed to run wild. Whether you went to school in the 1940’s through to recent decades, most Phys.Ed men, and the women while I’m at it, were great people, fair, enthusiastic, decent and tolerant. Just because your Phys.Ed teacher, like me, made you do a sport you hated didn’t make him or me an uncaring ogre, and just because Phys.Ed teachers asked their young charges to clean up properly with highly visible collective group showering of the class afterwards in their 11+ years did not make Phys.Ed teachers 99% of the time sinister voyeurs. I really feel I have to say that, as I’ve come across a couple of contributions on here that would perpetrate a myth that every other person, if not nearly everyone should be viewed with an air of suspicion. I took to task someone on the Hesketh chat to mention one example of somebody recently.

I’d love to know if anyone here has ever been to a school reunion, either as a former pupil or staff in any capacity and what they found the experience to be like.

I’ve noticed that some people place an e-mail link on here. Has this proven useful with any worthwhile private feedback at all?

Matthew

Did you make an error when you said ‘unfortunately, men have engaged in conversation with her’ (Andrea, Bless her). (Fortunately, surely)

The input from the ladies over the years has been very enjoyable and I think back to Claire’s recent work finding posts that were lifted from other sources, Rachel’s comments about hairy chests and not forgetting Emma (& her husband) whom someone described as ‘perfect parents’ (or similar).

This ‘board’ started way back in 2008 and I’ve been contributing on-and-off since then. Early discussions seemed to be about ‘British Bulldog’ (which I don’t think we played at school) and ‘Pirates’ (which we did, and which probably broke every H&S in the book, even then [at least the way we played it]). Over the years there’ve been all sorts of mini-threads (like the claim that at one boarding school the pupils were locked into chastity devices at the start of term), plus the endless discussions about wearing underpants and ‘shirts v skins’. (A suggestion once that there was a Government instruction that underpants were not to be worn and ‘Inspectors’ went round checking on that).

We’ve had ‘fantasists’ – one person who does need sympathy & support (and who probably also appeared under a pseudonym) and people who were, to me, a little too intense in some of the following questions.

And, of course the questions about medical inspections...

Sad to say, that seems to have gone from the board. It only seems a few weeks ago, but was probably longer, when someone was threatened with legal action (or similar) after comments were made about a named teacher (and similar suggestions only a few days ago.)

Recently the question of, err, ‘jockstraps’ came up (horrible garments – I didn’t wear them at school), but to suggest:

‘One has to presume that the mere act of talking about them has the same effect as outlined below.’ – a reference to an article in Wikipedia (which does draw from a well reviewed book).

I’m afraid I find this rather out of order – I don’t particular want to read (or contribute to) this board (and before anyone says it, although ‘retired’ I am deeply involved in ‘social care’ – it’s just that I don’t talk about it).

Michael on 13th April 2022 at 12:01

My memories of PE are good ones, it was strict, hard, challenging and rewarding but I looked forward to it, can't say I always enjoyed running, bare chest in the snow but I always felt great afterwards!

I think that this section of the History World web site has attracted so much attention because even after so many years, memories, all too often negative, still linger from many correspondents' 1950s or 1960s school PE lessons.

But surely, our childhoods included many more, hopefully much happier aspects, which are covered in other sections of this excellent web site, and to which I would encourage people to contribute their recollections.

Your gracious apology is fully accepted with thanks Pete.

To John,
Have you not seen the postings of Andrea? We know all about her "ex" but she has also been very keen to tell us about her own experiences in respect of her physical development I don't think many women view this site but, unfortunately, men have engaged in conversation with her

Gotta say I tend to feel similar to those who agree with the Laura stuff on here.

David G can you explain what you meant please. I took up your suggestion and am none the wiser. What is there to see through? My strong sense is he is filled with too much baggage and a lot of pointless fear of others. Alan, I hope you are happier in life than your comments suggest.

Geoff B, don't give the women any ideas on how to compete with the men on the undergarment fixation, but you made me laugh with that brilliant analogy.

Pete, kudos for the perfect unconditional apology. That's how to do one.

Laura
Please accept my apologies to you. I clearly was out order. Sorry

Couldn't agree more with Tony, Laura and Alan here. About time it was said.

I've been sick and tired of dipping in here and hearing about bloody jockstraps. We don't get the ladies coming on blathering on about when they had to start wearing a bra across their bosoms to keep things from swinging about during their teens at school do we.

Bravo Laura. You'll either now get ignored or pilloried for that masteful response. Well said.

Okay Pete, you lit the fuse, expect the blowback.

Friday was my first post from a longtime 'lurker'.

When you decide to stand up against something it's always the way that you can place yourself in the firing line, even on a benign history forum it seems. For some reason I've been called sanctimonious and without any foundation been bound together with someone named Alan as one and the same. Maybe Pete you are judging others by your own standards of behaviour and have been dropping in on this forum under countless named guises with jockstrap comments galore. Maybe you have or maybe you haven't, on balance probably not, but please don't accuse me of being somebody else just because you chose not to like the fact I've taken some elements of the direction of this history site to task for a quite patently obvious over obsession.

Let's have a bit of civility. I know it's hard even for some well into adulthood. This is not the school playground now and it's not great to read here and see some people singled out for groundless attacks. Based on what I came on here and read tonight I read back through many of Alan's posts this past few months and saw nothing to justify such singling out. I don't agree with Alan on some of what he says or the angle he chooses to say it but I'll absolutely defend his right to say it without having to endure personal abuse and forum intimidation which I'd guess he had during school like so many I've come across in my own job.

If you endure deep hurt in school it lasts your lifetime. The oldest person I've worked with was eighty years of age and once related to me in intricate detail their life from almost 70 years earlier. I'm currently seeing some still in school today regards anxiety, confidence, self esteem, pandemic and bullying issues.

Tony, yes when I mentioned the PE teacher it was the comment by Graham on March 24th I was thinking about.

Incase anyone wishes to know about me, both my parents were in the teaching profession and I'm working in NHS psychology and deal a lot with mindfulness issues privately of those who were bullied in childhood and into adulthood. There is no shortage of work sadly.

I had a wondeful time in school, including PE which I loved and got stuck into with gusto. I continue as an adult, playing tennis some weeks on the local court. But I was always aware I was lucky like that and many others were not like me. It gave me a passion in life to think about others and what they think and how they react and to always stand up for the underdog and never turn a blind eye to injustice.

I'll go with Laura here and concur and also with the entry placed on 24-3-22 which said something similar to her thoughts yesterday and I presume is one of the entries on here that Laura made passing reference to.

Alan on 8th April 2022 at 20:28

Oh dear, I see you are back trying to call out others for your own faults. Two wrongs do not make a right.

To anyone who has no notion of what Alan is referring to, just scroll back two or more pages and you will find his disordered posts. There are plenty of them and also his being called out by a number of posters who see straight through him.

Strikes me that Alan = Laura, Laura = Alan. Either way each could spare us the sanctimonious sneering!

I agree with Laura. Some weeks ago a few contributors accused me of being a fantasist, or even a liar because they didn't like some things I had written based on true events that happened in my life albeit some years ago now. What I wrote was true, and was my own genuine experiences. at a now thankfully defunct school, I notice those who were hurrumphing about me, haven't said a word about these seedy underwear fetishists.

I'm struggling to understand the direction that this school history site has taken recently. Although I've come to my own conclusions into why there seems to be this obsessive and completely disproportionate focussing on male underwear, lack of, and especially jockstraps in particular. Of all the things that go on in schooldays and even within just games lessons, to zone in constantly on this issue speaks plenty to me and I assume other readers who have a genuine interest in genuine memories.

No wonder this site has failed to get any half decent memories for a while when this kind of fetishist trivia is indulged time and again in a conversation going nowhere and never developing and yet some people who recently wrote readable input here last month, that PE teacher was completely passed by as someone even worth reacting to by anyone here. You couldn't make it up!

One has to presume that the mere act of talking about them has the same effect as outlined below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwear_fetishism#Jockstraps

Mark. Completely agree with your memories of initially wearing jockstraps. Once we were told that we could wear them we too wanted to be like the older boys and be very "manly". Whether we achieved that is debateable !

Julian S and Edward

I remember late 60s early 70s l turned 13 and we wore jockstrap + pouch for box for cricket and jockstrap without pouch for all other sport like rugby, rowing and running. Why? Because we wanted to be like the boys older than us!

Continuing the jockstrap saga ... as far as I can recall no-one at my school in the early-mid 60s wore a jock, but that it not to say no-one did. I have a memory of one lad talking to a teacher about his 'bits' and it being suggested he wear swimming trunks under his shorts.
As as been commented before, by the mid-60s underwear was becoming a bit more 'adventurous' and some of us were wearing 'Speedo's' or similar for cross-country, etc..

Our PE uniform list specified no underwear to be worn under our pe shorts for "hyginic reasons" although I suppose now I think I'm glad I took off my underwear so I wasn't sat in sweaty underpants for the rest of the school day. It just felt normal to us and nobody ever complained, they were never any checks and certainly nobody else wore a jock strap

Like Edward we started wearing a jockstrap at around 13. Most of us wanted to follow what the older boys were already doing i.e. wearing a jockstrap. That said, it was by no means compulsory as some lads preferred to stick with wearing swimming trunks.

Like Edward we started wearing a jockstrap at around 13. Most of us wanted to follow what the older boys were already doing i.e. wearing a jockstrap. That said, it was by no means compulsory as some lads preferred to stick with wearing swimming trunks.

Andrea. It wasn't mentioned before that and we hadn't heard of them. A few of us did notice however some of the older boys in the changing room at the same time as us wore something "strange" but didn't know what they were.

Andrea,
At our school that I attended we weren't allowed to wear anything under our shorts.We went through secondary school without wearing a jock strap.

Edward,
Did any of you try wear a jockstrap before your teacher said they were 'allowed' or was it just that they weren't mentioned until you were nearly 15?
My Ex said he felt more 'secure' when he started wearing one (at about 13).

Tim H, particularly at the end of the day but at other times too, our PE teachers joined us in the showers. I never thought anything of it and I'm sure there was nothing sinister about it. Nor was it sinister that they saw us naked as we changed, showered or got dried.

Not wanting to get too involved in the 'teachers in showers' discussion but ...
Our school games fields were a good distance from the school. It was not unknown for teachers to strip off and use the showers alongside the boys. As far as I can recall there were no comments - it was just part of growing up.

Like other comments our pe shorts were short and there was the risk of exposure due to wearing no pants.

Edward,
It was customary at the school that I attended not to wear anything under our shorts and then shorts were much shorter than they are today.
Like yourself we were always conscious about the risk of being "exposed"

To Phil Hargreaves.

This could just be a story made up by somebody who didn't like him. Was there ever any proof?