This letter from the PPM archive about short trouser and pyjama discipline did not elicit the required response from Matron I assume.

Dear Matron

My name is David, I am fourteen and I live with my mother and my brother Christopher. Last year I won a scholarship to a boys only private school across town .  I was very pleased with myself and was totally unaware that they had a strict traditional school uniform policy.  I had graduated to long trousers from the age of eleven and would wear longs even on the hottest summer's day. By the time of my final year, I had owned no pairs of school or play shorts, having passed them down to my brother, along with the accompanying long socks. 

On a damp August day towards the beginning of the new term, I went along with my mother to the school outfitters to be kitted out for my new school, my mother made me wear my old school uniform at the time.

I did not really like going shopping, especially for clothes, and I was not really paying attention in the school outfitters when the salesman was going through the uniform list with my mother, explaining what was needed, and measuring a me up. Having tried on blazers until one was found "with room to grow into" the salesman produced a pair of short trousers for me to try on. I told him that I had been wearing a longs for the last couple of years, and that I had at least two pairs that fitted me well and which I could continue wearing.

He told me that the uniform rules of the grammar school were quite clear, and that shorts had to be worn until the end of the boy's sixth form tenure. I was shocked with disbelief; he pulled out the school's uniform rules to show me.  Face with the prospect of wearing short trousers for the next two years I suddenly no longer wanted to go to the new posh school, but I realised that I could not possibly suggest this to my mother, at least part of me realised that this was an absurd reaction to a school uniform rule. 

I was in something of a daze as I tried on the grey, white-lined short trousers, and the long socks in the grammar school's colours. I was made to walk around the shop, with the salesman and my mother admiring me in my new uniform, commenting on how much smarter I looked compared to the long trousers that I had worn on arrival. I tried to make it clear that I did not share their opinion but to my horror the salesman suggested to my mother  that it would be a good idea if I started wearing my new short trousers immediately so as to get used to them before September. He then produced the regulation long socks in the school's colours and persuaded my mother to insist I put one of the four pairs she bought on.  At this point the outfitters shop was on the point of closing and my mother decided we would return home with me dressed as I was. My protests about being seen wearing such a ridiculous ensemble  were ignored, as my mother pointed out, that is what I would be wearing permanently from the next day. 

I was in a complete state of shock, I had left the outfitters wearing a pair of short trousers and long socks, knowing that I was destined to wear these items for at least the next couple of years. 

When I got home I was teased mercilessly by my young brother who was looking forward to moving on to long trousers next term. My mother took all my long trousers and put them in his cupboard.

I hated going to school,  I was teased by pupils from my old school, a major problem as I commuted to my new one on the same transport. Mother was adamant that I looked so smart in short trousers, and regretted that I had been allowed to move on to longs at all, indeed, when I was out with her she encouraged her friends to admire how neat and tidy I looked, which just added to my humiliation.

Of course, throughout this time, my young brother was able to wear long trousers to school. He had persuaded my mother that, as I had been allowed to wear long trousers from the age of eleven so should he. And that just like I had been, he was allowed to wear longs at weekends, during holidays and such like. In contrast, my mother continued to insist that as long as I wore shorts as my school uniform there was no question of my wearing long trousers outside school. I do not even own a pair of jeans.

I feel humiliated on a daily basis having to wear shorts while my younger brother wears longs. He had a growth spurt recently and was soon considerably taller than me. I had always enjoyed the role of older brother, especially when I wore long trousers and he was still in shorts. But now the situation has reversed, he in longs with me back in shorts. With being taller than me now our relationship has changed. He behaves towards me as if he was older, swanking around in his longs and and teasing me. This also affects the way my mother treats us. This is why I am writing to you. He used to go to bed an hour and a half before me before my mother changed that to allow him to go to bed at the same time as me, which meant that I have lost that privilege I had as the oldest child. Eventually with my exams looming large, my mother insists that I go to bed at seven thirty every night. Indeed she insists I put my pyjamas on as soon as I return home from school so I am ready to go to bed immediately after I have finished studying. My brother has just started bringing a girl home after school and I find it embarrassing to be seen in pyjamas by a twelve year old girl, especially as my mother insists I now wear the pyjamas that he has grown out of. Please advise me on how to persuade my mother to allow me back into longs at the weekend and recommend that my early bedtime be rescinded long with having to wear my brothers pyjama hand me downs.

Yours respectfully 

Dear David

What an ungrateful boy you are. Your mother has no doubt scrimped and saved to pay for your uniform yet you moan and bleat about how unfair everything is. There is no reason for her to waste money buying you long trousers just for the weekend is there? 

As for your early bedtime, your mother is ensuring you get plenty of sleep to help you pass your exams, and why complain about wearing your younger brothers hand me down pyjamas, you are wearing long trouser then are you not?

Knuckle down and stop complaining is my advice young man.