School boardman

[carolyorkie2010]

Can anyone tell me whether the school boardman used to exist, or was it someone our parents made up to make sure we went to school? I think there was one, my friend says not. (I'm talking about school in the 60's)

[ed_blackadder_1]

I think I remember my parents talking about it, I think it was someone who came to your house if you hadn't been to school, but like you say could have been made up,  it was never used on me for that reason I never missed school I loved it (not as goody goody as it sounds)

[millielilac]

There was... although it was not unheard of for the head-teacher to send the school caretaker round to a pupils hose to check up .

Of course it was very different days then ...the school caretaker had a full time job and was around school all day long.

[chickengrandma-2008]

Yes, I'm pretty sure there was a board man. I should think the name comes from The education Board and was probably first set up to protect children whose parents prevented them from going to school so that they could work at some menial job and earn a few coppers.

As times changed their role changed to chase up the youngsters who were playing truant.

[ed_blackadder_1]

My gran was the school caretaker in my big school and it was lovely because she used to bring me in cakes and sweets as a treat for my lunch break and I used to share them with my friends, she didn't go looking for missing pupils though.

[chickengrandma-2008]

My dad was a caretaker at my sister's children's school (his grandchildren).  He and my mum lived in the school bungalow on the premises so the children used to have lunch there every day.

[xtf70]

We used to call him The Truant Catcher but whether he really existed or not I never ventured to find out!

[tintinthegingertomcat]

I read of lot of women's "sagas" and in several of them I remember this type of character being mentioned. I would imagine it to be true as the authors do their research of the period that they are writing about.

[cat-knitter]

Yes they did & still do  ........ they are now called "school attendence officers" 

[bwcwxx58_3]

yes there was. we used to hide from him. ours in bristol was nasty. 

[bwcwxx58_3]

yep they did exist. ours in bristol was horrid man. we used to hide from him.

[*guinevere*]

Yes he did exist. My husband remembers the school board man coming to his house when he was off school poorly. He was apparently checking that he really was ill, he obviously didn't believe he was!