After considering this question for the past few days and trying to remember experiences at primary school, I’ve come to realise that my gender did actually play quite a significant role in various aspects of this part of my life.

One of the subjects where gender seemed to matter most was in PE. These lessons were either constructed with a “boys group” and a “girls group” or, for some games, two male captains who would have choice over the whole class for their team, often leaving the girls to be the last ones chosen. Reminiscing on this now just highlights how your gender was quite possibly the most important part of your identity at primary school other than your name.

Then there were the lunch queues. Something as simple as eating being organised by gender. Obviously, there would be the boy’s queue and the girl’s, both standing as silently as possible in order to gain access to the dinner hall first. This sense of competition, which could also be found in PE lessons, featured at lunchtime heavily, whether it be in the queues or merely in playground games. It was as if the whole of primary school was a 7-year-long battle of the sexes.

Large groups of boys and girls could often be found marching around the playground at playtime chanting (what now seems totally ridiculous) “Boys are the kings” or “Girls are the best”.

All things considered, gender was absolutely vital in my time at primary school.