At infant and junior school it was ‘Miss’ for the predominantly female staff, regardless of marital status, and ‘Sir’ for the occasional male teacher. At secondary school it was ‘Sir’ for everyone, because there were no female teachers. When trying to attract the attention of a particular Master in a group of Masters or in other circumstances where confusion might have arisen then Doctor, Reverend, Mr as appropriate, followed by the surname was the form, but once it was a one to one conversation ‘Sir’ was the only permissable address.
We didn’t stand when Masters entered rooms, but if you had to wear a cap failing to touch it to a Master in the street and say ‘good morning sir’ or ‘good afternoon sir’ was a hanging offence. If you weren’t wearing a cap when you should have been you made sure the salutation was particularly effusive and that you looked suitably chastened – that way you might just get away with lines for the caplessness. If you were a prefect or a privileged sixth former (not all sixth formers attained either status) and didn’t have to wear a cap only the salutation was obligatory.
