Another reason for believing that girls weren’t too embarrassed about showing their knickers is that they often used the climbing frame in the playground during breaks and lunchtimes. This had horizontal bars at different heights and on most breaks one or two girls would grab hold of the bar, pull themselves up, hook their knees over the bar, and then let go and hang upside down. Of course their skirts would also hang down, showing off their knickers; and they did this even though the boys’ playground was only about thirty yards away.
So why have the details of Barbara’s slippering stuck so clearly in my memory? I guess it has to be a mixture of factors. Of course children are interested in bottoms, especially bottoms belonging to the opposite sex, even at the age of seven. There was the ritual aspect, of having to bend over and present your bottom to the class. Finally, of course, observing power and authority in action is always memorable, particularly when it isn’t aimed at you.