These children are choosing books from the school library. Judging by the number of empty shelves, there was not as much choice as our library today.
Look closely at the picture. How are the books organised?
Forefield in the Fifties |
These photographs show what life was life at Forefield Junior School in the 1950s, not long after the end of World War II. |
Click any picture on this page to open a larger image in a new window. |
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These children are choosing books from the school library. Judging by the number of empty shelves, there was not as much choice as our library today. |
Look closely at the picture. How are the books organised? |
Like today, children at Forefield in the 1950s had periods of silent reading in the classroom. See how the children are sitting in rows facing the front of the class instead of sitting in groups like our classes today. |
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What do you notice about the children's clothes? |
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Despite the war being over, food was still rationed for a good many years. Lots of people grew their own vegetables in gardens or allotments. Here we can see a vegetable patch on the school grounds being tended by boys from the school. |
Can you tell where on our modern school grounds the vegetable patch used to be? |
For many people, money was tight in the 1950s and it was common practice to mend torn and worn out clothes to make them last longer. These children are having sewing lessons to prepare them for adult life. Nowadays, in the fast-paced modern world, we tend to replace rather than repair old and worn out things, spending our money rather than our time. |
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What (or who) is missing from this picture? |
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All primary school children were given a small bottle of milk each day. Today, free milk is usually only given to young infant and nursery children, and it is in cartons rather than bottles. |
Why is good for children to drink milk each day? |
These children are enjoying a PE lesson using apparatus outdoors. |
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What do you notice about what the children are wearing (or not!)? |
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These girls are enjoying a dance lesson outside in the quad. Notice that the shorts the children wore for dance were different to the ones they wore for gymnastics. |
Can you think of any changes made to the quad since this photograph was taken? |
Were you a pupil or a member of staff at Forefield Junior School in the 1950s? Are you featured in any of these photographs or do you recognise any school friends? If you have any other pictures stories or other information that we can feature in this section of our website, then please let us know. |
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