I totally agree.I can sympathise and when I tell my state educated wife some of the tales from those very far off days ( thank f—k), she can’t believe it.
I really think that some on here who have banged on about public schools, but actually have no idea what it was like would have struggled to survive intact.
So different now, thankfully, but it was a pretty brutal austere life back in the day.
Not many people I know would get through some of the punishments.
Being woken up at 5am and running 5 miles in your underwear in December, anyone?
Painting coal white?
10 mile run instead of going home on a Saturday?
To name but a few that I recall.
And all the everyday stuff. Grim.
Then endless marching round the square on CCF. Ugh.
It was no picnic.