School Stuff: Pritt Stick, Ink Cartridges And Overhead Projectors

Ask anyone about school and they'll describe the equipment before they describe a single lesson.

Here it all is.

The pencil case

• A Pritt Stick, dried out, with the lid missing and the cap of a different one on it.
• A handwriting pen and a box of ink cartridges, with one always leaking in the bottom of the bag.
• Ink-stained fingers, an ink-stained shirt pocket, and a blot on the page.
• Tippex, the bottle kind with the brush, thickly applied and then written on before it dried.
• Tippex mouse, which was a genuine upgrade.
• A protractor, a compass used mainly for carving into desks, and a set square used for nothing at all.
• A Helix Oxford maths set, in the tin, with the sharpener that never sharpened.
• Smelly gel pens, glitter pens and a fountain pen someone was given for passing an exam.
• A calculator you turned upside down to spell words.

The classroom

• The overhead projector, with acetate sheets and a special pen, and the teacher's hand casting a shadow across everything.
• The blackboard, chalk, and the duster thrown - which happened, and shouldn't have.
• The whiteboard arriving and the smell of the markers.
• The banda or spirit duplicator, and the purple ink on still-damp sheets that everyone sniffed.
• The TV on a tall trolley wheeled in, which meant a good lesson.
• The BBC Micro in the corner, then a computer room with a booking sheet.
• The register, called out, with 'yes miss' or 'present'.
• Wall displays with your work on, backed in sugar paper with a wavy border.

The books and the bag

• Exercise books covered in wallpaper or wrapping paper, because you were told to cover them.
• Your name, your form, and your subject in the box on the front.
• Textbooks with the names of everyone who'd had it before you listed inside the cover.
• Graph paper, tracing paper and sugar paper.
• A homework diary, signed weekly, and forged occasionally.
• A bag worn on one shoulder only, because that was the rule that nobody wrote down.
• A PE kit in a drawstring bag, damp, since Tuesday.

The rest of the school

• The bell, and the difference between the end-of-lesson bell and the fire alarm.
• The hall for assembly, sat cross-legged on a wooden floor, with the projector screen down.
• Hymn books, and a piano played by a teacher who wasn't a pianist.
• The tuck shop, and the queue.
• The nit letter, and the nurse.
• Milk crates, and later the vending machine.
• Sports day, the egg and spoon, and the parents' race that got competitive.
• The photographer, the comb, and the photo nobody was happy with.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• The compass was for carving desks and everyone knows it.
• The banda sheets were damp, and everyone sniffed them.
• A TV on a trolley meant a good lesson.

Where to shop next

• Sweets that disappeared
• School dinners we all remember
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Christmas presents every child got
• Computers and consoles we grew up with
• Phones before mobiles
• Dial-up, MSN and MySpace
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• Video shops and late fees
• The Argos catalogue and the wishbook
• Cars, caravans and the British seaside
• Things kids today will never understand
• Out until the streetlights came on
• What childhood cost then vs now
• Sweets quiz
• Guess the year quiz
• Growing up in the 80s and 90s
• Free feel good tools
• Shop cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Good luck cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What was the purple ink smell at school?

The spirit duplicator, often called a banda machine, which printed worksheets in purple ink using a volatile solvent. The sheets came out damp and the smell was, for better or worse, unforgettable.

What was an overhead projector?

A lamp and lens that projected a transparent acetate sheet onto a wall or screen, so the teacher could write while facing the class. It was standard in British classrooms for decades.

Why did we cover exercise books?

To make them last the year. Wallpaper offcuts and leftover wrapping paper were the standard materials, and the quality of the job was a minor matter of pride.

Do you sell stationery?

No - we make greeting cards, prints and pin badges. This page is here for the memory of it.