Throwback Thursday: 20 Scouse School Memories From the 90’s

By Kate James

With 90’s girl band All Saints back in town with their Red Flag tour and girls rocking the choker trend all over again, we’ve jumped on the #throwbackthursday band wagon to bring you 20 Scouse school memories from the 90’s.

Kickers at the ready, lets see how many you can remember! 

1 – Girls were officially allowed to wear trousers from around the early 90’s, and while this was a huge step in feminism and the right to make choices……..literally one girl did…….for like….a day. One small step for feminism!

2 – The prize for the most robbed equipment subject goes to Art. Nope, you’ve no idea what you’re gonna do with a palette of 6 chalk paints, two half-used tubes of gouache and a glue-gun…..but you’re having it.

3 – 90’s school shoes came in two options…..Rockport or Kickers. Anything other than that were deemed pasties and you took the stick that came with it.

4 – Every school has fit sixth formers. They were probably just average looking kids but being able to stroll out the school gates at lunch time like a badass made them sexy. And yes Danny Zuko was the hottest sixth former….ever!

5 – Teachers who carried books and god knows what-else in Netto carrier bags. Remember them? The yellow and black hatched design with a dog or something on? The utter, utter shame of being asked to carry something into class in one of them horrors. You had to go to a different school after that humiliation.

6 – Daring to sag off school and being convinced that every adult in a suit was the truancy officer.

7 – You could easily spot Liverpool kids on school trips around the country because we looked amazing. Hair in two braids (loving the fact this trend has come back) and a block colour Bon Bleu trackie and Reebok classic trainies. You could also get away with a Sweater Shop jumper and Benetton trackie bottoms if you had to. Damn we looked good.

8 – Kids got sent home from school for the most ridiculous reasons. Wrong socks, hair shaved in a number 0/1, wrote your fellas name on your science book, earrings in, practically breathing! May as well just sagged off!

9 – JD drawstring bags were the most commonly used school bag for lads during the 90’s. And if you had last seasons design you would be ripped. Simple.

10 – Record of Achievement. This maroon faux-leather folder was what school was all about. Being handed your Record of Achievement at the end of 5th year (and praying it wasn’t empty having winged your GCSE’s) felt like you’d won the lottery. You’d spot sixth formers a mile off, wandering around town handing out CV’s like they were Alan Sugar, yet the only subjects they excelled at was PE and Cookery.

11 -Being the lead in the school play and carrying on like your were Beyonce.

12 – Sitting through hours of awards evenings to be the last one called up for a special achievement in Geography. Because knowing the difference between lime stone and granite is deffo gonna see you through life.

13 – Finding out the supply teachers first name and skitting them mercilessly every single lesson. Ahh Mr Richard Head……how we loved Physics for one entire Spring term back in ’97.

14 – The way american school ‘hall pass’ always sounded dead cool, but our equivalent was a slightly damp, laminated bit of card that had ‘toilet’ stamped on it and definitely carried some kind of infectious disease. Nah, I’ll hold it til break, ta.

15 – Accidentally catching the head of years eye after assembly and having to stack all the chairs at the back of the hall for what seemed like eternity…..topped off by being screamed at for being late for English. FFS

16 – Running was banned in the 90’s. If you were caught running in a corridor anytime from September ’94 to around July ’99 there would almost certainly be a national disaster and you’d find yourself on report card for the whole school year. We still don’t fully understand the dangers of running to this day.

17 – Everyone’s favourite lesson was RE, purely for the sheer amount of colouring in that went on. Yes, yes we do want to learn all about faith especially the ones with loads of celebrations so we can break out the Berol fine liners and colour in for an entire term. GCSE RE……its in the bag!

18 – Everyone had a mate who’s exercise books were immaculate, someone who managed to underline, highlight and fold in diagrams like a boss. And there was you, with your smudged line on page two of a brand new book, a constant disappointment to your parents.

19 – Dogs really did just turn up on the yard some days and everyone would go mental. Also, school yard scraps attracted more attention than the X Factor on a Saturday night. Proper entertainment.

20 – Going to town and getting in at The State or 051 without ID and then playing the latest club mix tape in the sixth form common room, made you an everlasting trendsetter.

How many of you 90’s kids raved and misbehaved at Reminisce festival last month? In case you missed it, a