Schoolboy Hair

The subject of boys' hair length has often vexed British schoolmasters, particularly in the post-war era. In the 1950s schools had to contend with 'teddyboy' hairstyles, with their rebellious greased quiffs. However, these haircuts proved to be more acceptable than later styles, since a boy's ears and collar were still visible. Indeed, hair regulations, where they existed, usually specified that a boy's hair was not to touch his ears or collar.

The real trouble began in the late 1960s with the pop music revolution and the growing popularity of the hippy lifestyle. Boys' hair began to sprout in all directions and it was the odd boy out who preferred to keep his hair short and neatly groomed. Ears were lost from sight and collars were hidden beneath shoulder-length tresses.This photograph of a school sports team from the mid 1970s is typical of this era.

Some schools attempted to hold the tide against long hair and in some cases a boy would be sent home with orders not to return to school until he had obtained an aceptable haircut. This was easier in boarding schools which employed a barber on the premises, although pupils would often grow their hair long during the holidays as compensation.

The headmaster would not permit long hair and could sometimes be found patrolling outside the dining room at lunchtimes looking for boys sporting fashionably unkempt locks. On one occasion he marched three boys along to the local High Street barber and ordered their hair to be cut in a severely short back and sides style. One look at what had happened to them was enough to deter us from letting our own hair get too long. South London grammar school late 1960s.

The problem of long hair was exacerbated in schools which maintained cadet forces. Long hair was decidedly unmilitary in appearance and looked out of place when wearing cadet uniform. In schools where membership of the cadets was voluntary this was not a particular problem. If a boy was keen enough to volunteer he would usually be willing to keep his hair reasonably short and tidy.

The real problem arose in the many schools which press-ganged all boys of a certain age into the Combined Cadet Force. The majority of the conscripts had no wish to be in military uniform, yet alone be obliged to keep their hair short just to suit whichever tinpot martinet was in charge of the CCF. The usual rule was 'no hair touching the ears or collar' and long haired cadets would attempt to conceal their luxuriant tresses inside their berets (in the case of army and air cadets) or naval caps (in the case of sea cadets).

Nowadays, with the current fashion for short hair, schoolboys look just the job in their cadet uniforms and, indeed, their heads may be more closely cropped than those of real soldiers. But thirty years ago hair could be a real problem, as one grammar school cadet recalls:

We all had to join the school cadets for two years. I was dreading it since I was very pleased with my longish hair and I knew that the CCF had a rule about hair not touching the ears or collar. Like other new recruits I tried pushing my hair up under my beret when I went on parade and this worked for a while. However, when it came to the 'Annual Inspection' the commanding officer was accepting no excuses for long hair and most of us gave in. I'm glad I did because on the inspection day an army barber came to the school and the handful of boys who hadn't obtained a neat haircut were given an army style haircut on the spot.

This picture of grammar school cadets from 1975 shows that the battle against long hair had been lost in this particular school.