Nostalgia: Pupils in school daze

Child's first day at primary school - Norman Briggs is already missing mum in 1954.

Amongst the children, there’s sadness about no longer being able to play with friends all day long, and  disappointment at not being allowed to stay up a little later at night.

But there’s also excitement about catching up with friends they’ve not seen all summer, exchanging tales of foreign holidays and swapping all the latest gossip.

For parents it can often be a relief not to have to worry about childcare arrangements and getting back into a routine.

First day at school - 5-year-olds Linda Cormack andf John Boyle outside Preston Primary School in Edinburgh, April 1966.

But there will also be lots of tears as some parents drop their children off at the school gates for the very first time, marking a milestone in their lives.

Every parent will be able to remember that first day, no matter how many years ago it was.

In 1966, the parents of five-year-old Linda Cormack and John Boyle would no doubt have had tears in their eyes as they waved off their little ones at Preston Primary School.

There were some worried looking faces in the playground of Flora Stevenson Primary in August 1970, as girls waited in line ahead of their first day of school.

Little girls wait in the playground before their first day at Flora Stevenson primary school in Edinburgh in August 1970. Rosemary Holden in front has a rose for her new teacher.

Excited little Rosemary Holden carried a rose to give to her new teacher as a present.

But it was a different story for young Norman Briggs in August 1958 on his first day at primary school. The youngster was already missing his mum.

And the friends of one little boy had to try and coerce him to join them on their walk to school on the first day back after the holidays.

He clearly preferred reading his comic to going back into the classroom.