History Main / TheGoodOldBritishComp

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* Immortalised in song by Music/{{Madness}} in "Baggy Trousers" from ''Music/{{Absolutely}}'' --> ''Lots of girls and lots of boys/ lots of smells and lots of noise.'' Interestingly, written partly as a reaction to 'Another Brick in the Wall'- the slightly younger, working class members of Madness didn't entirely relate to [[BoardingSchoolOfHorrors that image of school]] - their own education had been slightly more relaxed, and they were aware that the teachers were making do as best they could with their situation as much as the children.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E3SchoolReunion "School Reunion"]] was set at a comprehensive school.

They used to be able to administer a caning, but this was stopped in the 1980s; many a media commentator has called for its return. Highly popular for the expected hijinks the students (and also often teachers) will get up to, because really, really shouldn't get up to them. Such shows are naturally prone to DawsonCasting.

Comprehensive schools were set up in the 1960s by the UsefulNotes/HaroldWilson government, replacing the old system of Grammars and Secondary Moderns (where you went and a lot of your future depended on the dreaded 11 plus exams -- this system still prevails in Northern Ireland and small parts of England, and a variation on it can be seen in the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' books and movies).

British school pupils in almost all cases are required to wear school uniform and you can spot a troublemaker from a mile off by the fact that he or she [[CustomUniform isn't wearing it properly]] (skirt too short, tie askew, top button undone). It is of note that in some schools, not wearing one's uniform correctly has encroached en masse, to the extent that very few pupils wear the entire uniform correctly. They generally include a white shirt, tie, dark bottoms (trousers or skirts) and smart dark shoes.

Gangs are common, both of the good ("let's have a jape") and bad ("let's nick the smart kid's lunch money") variety. Kids in TV schools display a far greater degree of coordination on their own than one ever saw in real life. The teachers have to be called "miss" or "sir" (a policy that only actually happens in some schools) and are generally highly strict. Whatever you do, don't annoy the Head Teacher.

Scottish state schools aren't called comprehensives; typical terms are "high school", "academy" or "secondary school". There are a wide range of other differences, but none of them are relevant to the trope, except that uniforms seem to be more optional.

Scottish state schools aren't called comprehensives; typical terms are "high school" "academy" or "secondary school". There are a wide range of other differences, but none of them are relevant to the trope, except that uniforms seem to be more optional.

* [[Film/CarryOn Carry On Teacher]]

* ''Literature/TheSecretDiaryOfAdrianMole'' went to one in the earlier books and many of his problems, especially in the first book, occur here, such as his dealings with [[TheBully Barry Kent]] and Headmaster Reginald "Popeye" Scruton. The sterotypical depiction is lampshaded when [[{{Eagleland}} Hamish Mancini]] visits the school and is disappointed that canings have been done away with.

* Immortalised in song by Music/{{Madness}} in ''Baggy Trousers'' from ''Music/{{Absolutely}}'' --> ''Lots of girls and lots of boys/ lots of smells and lots of noise.''
** Interestingly, written partly as a reaction to 'Another Brick in the Wall'- the slightly younger, working class members of Madness didn't entirely relate to [[BoardingSchoolOfHorrors that image of school]] - their own education had been slightly more relaxed, and they were aware that the teachers were making do as best they could with their situation as much as the children.

** And for that matter, the free fan-made sequel for the PC called ''Klass of 99.''

These troublemakers also like to smoke behind the bike sheds, where romance also takes place. (Presumably, the smoke obscures said romance.) (These days smoking in the Staff Room is illegal, so pupils and teachers both disappear behind the bike sheds where they carefully ignore each other)

* ''WaterlooRoad''
* ''TheBootStreetBand''

* ''{{Teachers}}''
* ''{{The Inbetweeners}}'' is the single best, most realistic depiction of British school life ever seen. Of particular note is how up-to-date the insults are (bellend and dickwad are particularly popular) and how they don't shy away from having kids swearing, watching porn and going on and on about sex (you know, as actual secondary schoolers and 6th formers actually do).

* ''Theatre/TheHistoryBoys''

** This can be split down to 1978-1989 or thereabouts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE7gAEsI0XY is the Tucker/Gripper/Ro-land era
** and younger viewers remember http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E8AZ8bsdOY from 1990 onwards.

* [[BritishComics British girls' comic]] ''Bunty'' had a long-running strip called ''The Comp'' about this type of school. The comic's flagship story, ''The Four Marys'', was set in an exclusive boarding school for girls; so ''The Comp'' was introduced as a more modern counterpart in an effort to represent the kind of school that readers might actually attend.

Comprehensive schools were set up in the 1960s by the Wilson government, replacing the old system of Grammars and Secondary Moderns (where you went and a lot of your future depended on the dreaded 11 plus exams -- this system still prevails in Northern Ireland and small parts of England, and a variation on it can be seen in the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' books and movies).

* ''AdrianMole'' went to one in the earlier books and many of his problems, especially in the first book, occur here, such as his dealings with [[TheBully Barry Kent]] and Headmaster Reginald "Popeye" Scruton. The sterotypical depiction is lampshaded when [[{{Eagleland}} Hamish Mancini]] visits the school and is disappointed that canings have been done away with.

* Immortalised in song by Madness in ''Baggy Trousers'' - "Lots of girls and lots of boys/lots of smells and lots of noise."

* ''TheDemonHeadmaster'' is set in a "too good to be true" example (if the name wasn't a clue). The NewTransferStudent protagonist finds that almost everyone is a model student, and kids can even be found parroting facts back and forth during breaks. Then she finds herself reciting stock lines whenever someone asks her about the school, and has no idea why...

* The school in the ZXSpectrum games ''VideoGame/SkoolDaze'' and ''Back to Skool''.

* ''AdrianMole'' went to one in the earlier books and many of his problems, especially in the first book, occur here, such as his dealings with [[TheBully Barry Kent]] and Headmaster Reginald "Popeye" Scruton.

* [[CarryOn Carry On Teacher]]

School buildings in the UK widely vary in quality, from Victorian era to brand new. On TV, many are Victorian. Fortunately, the days of the outside toilets and outside swimming pools are gone. Actually, the "outside" has gone too, having been sold off to property developers.

* ''TheSarahJaneAdventures'' series one had one episode set at the local comp (Park Vale High School, which despite the name is this trope and not a HighSchool) and the second series sees an increase in school set scenes because [[spoiler:the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for Maria, Rani, is the daughter of the new Headmaster]].
* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E3SchoolReunion School Reunion]]" was set at a comprehensive school.

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* BlackButler had a manga arc where Ciel has to go undercover at boarding school to find a missing student. The first trial he faces: a male AlphaBitch who uses his beauty to manipulate the other students and is determined to ruin the life of anyone who could possibly become as popular.

* ''Palace Hill'' was a particularly surreal example, with members of the Royal Family, and for one series a young Margaret Thatcher, rubbing shoulders with working-class teenagers. Oh, and one the school toilets was actually a "time khazi".

See also BritishEducationSystem. Compare and contrast with BoardingSchool, the other British education trope.

Comprehensive schools were set up in the 1960s by the Wilson government, replacing the old system of Grammars and Secondary Moderns (where you went and a lot of your future depended on the dreaded 11 plus exams -- this system still prevails in Northern Ireland and small parts of England, and a variation on it can be seen in the ''HarryPotter'' books and movies).

Kids in glasses are generally portrayed as 'swots', as are "prim and proper young ladies" (e.g., Hermione Granger from ''HarryPotter''). The former get bullied, the latter may turn out to be BeautifulAllAlong.