Yes, it may have been the place you forged lifelong friendships and learned how to unlock the mysteries of the world.
But for many children, it was also where they encountered bullying, public humiliation and daily drudgery.
If you grew up in the 60s and 70s, there are some things you almost certainly don’t miss about going to school back then.
Below are some of the things that can still send a shiver down the spine of anyone who attended school at the time.
How many of these do you remember, and what are your worst memories of your school days?
If you’re looking for more nostalgia from your childhood, you might like this look back at what made up the perfect weekend in the 60s and 70s.
1. Warm milk
Children got free school milk back in the 60s and 70s, but not everyone liked it. One person recalled how in the summer, the warm milk would 'make you gag', while in the winter, it was often frozen and would be left by the radiator to thaw. Many people recall the taste of 'congealing milk' with an 'aftertaste of wax straw'. For some pupils, it was enough to put them off milk for life. | Getty Images Photo: Chris Ware/Keystone Features
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2. Friction burns from the climbing rope
Climbing ropes were a feature of every school gym in the 60s and 70s. Learning to shimmy up a rope was part of childhood back then, but the friction burns if you lost your grip and slid down could be excruciating. | Getty Images Photo: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive
3. 'Nitty Nora'
Most schools had a nit nurse back then, often cruelly nicknamed 'Nitty Nora'. The fear of public shame was immense, as they would often comb your hair in front of your classmates. If you were found to have nits, you would be given some head lice treatment and a letter to take home to your parents. | Getty Images Photo: George Freston/Fox Photos
4. Tracing paper loo roll
The loo roll used at most schools in the 60s and 70s was so scratchy it was a form of torture. It felt like tracing paper and was a far cry from the quilted toilet paper to which our pampered bottoms have grown accustomed. Many schools used Izal medicated toilet paper, which children of the era recall being like sandpaper. | Getty Images Photo: Derek Berwin/Fox Photos