Since you weren’t allowed to wear your favourite team’s shirt to school, sports fans were able to do the next best thing by subtly displaying their footballing pride on the end of their pencils with a small plastic topper in the shape and style of their shirt of choice. Good for some sporting rivalries in the classroom; not so good when the teacher prefers rugby. Trolls School was hard, but we made the best of it by taking every opportunity to express ourselves. When non-uniform day felt too far away, the next best thing was accessorising. From bags to book decoration, setting out your stuff with pride before each lesson began was the best way to show your true colours.

At first glance, the calculator watch looked really cool and handy, but it took a very light touch and steady hand to operate one properly, thanks to the impossibly tiny buttons. Pokémon cards

Anyone who was at school in the 1990s will still remember how cool school stationery was, along with all the other trends and tools that passed through. Here are some of our favourites from the decade. Gul pencil cases