As she rejoins her modern day class for the start of the new school year, one of the That'll Teach 'Em pupils tells Steve Pratt how it compares with her experience of education back in the 1950s.

FRIENDS thought schoolgirl Harriet Rykens was mad when she volunteered to spend her summer holidays back in the classroom. And, as millions of TV viewers saw in the Channel 4 series That'll Teach 'Em, there were times when she looked as if she regretted going to Kings School.

Sixteen-year-old Harriet, from Kirklington, near Bedale in North Yorkshire, was one of 30 youngsters who travelled back in time to experience life and lessons at a 1950s boarding school.

They wore school uniform, ate food like Spam fritters, did maths without calculators, and obeyed the strict classroom discipline of the era. At the end of their month-long stay, they took O-levels to see how they fared compared to their real life 2003 results.

Despite the hardship of school life 50 years ago, she has no regrets at giving up a big chunk of her summer school break to take part in the TV experiment.

"It's one of the most worthwhile four weeks I will ever have in my life, and I'll never regret that," says Harriet, who returned to the present as a boarder at St Margaret's School, near York, last week.

When she talks about it, she uses phrases like "getting out" and "in there" which makes it sound like being in prison. But, clearly, she gained valuable lessons and made lasting friendships.

"I've missed it so much since I came out. Not the school, but the people," she says. "We were there without any mobile phones, TVs or computer games. Just you and 29 other people, so obviously you really get to know people because you entertain yourself by talking about things.

"I know people in there better, after four weeks, than some of the people I have lived with for eight years at my boarding school. We were forced to get on with each other. We have this bond that won't break because we have this unique thing in common."

Harriet applied to be on That'll Teach 'Em after a friend pointed out that Channel 4 was seeking 16-year-olds for the programme. She thought "it would be a bit of fun and a laugh". Several interviews and an assessment by a psychologist later, she won a place at Kings.

Hattie admits that nothing prepared her for 1950s school life. "It was a complete shock," she recalls. "Everyone was so much stricter, and from day one had the attitude was that boys like engines and girls needn't think because all they had to know was how to clean the floors.

"Then there was the culture shock because we all came from different parts of England. Everyone had their own accent and way of life. We had to look beyond that. When we put on that 1950s uniform, everyone's culture completed faded. Everyone was the same. We were all equal, no one was different because of what they wore or the way they spoke.

"On top of that, we were taken out of society and away from our parents, and were quite isolated. At times, you felt quite lonely."

She was one of only three pupils who'd experienced boarding school, and was able to help those who found it unsettling. "Some said they'd applied because they wanted to know what boarding school was like. I told them it was nothing like Kings, it wasn't as horrible as that," she says.

"A lot of people were upset in the first week. I knew what they were going through, so I knew what to say to them. It was one of the reasons the girls bonded quickly."

Mixing with the boys was more difficult. The "six inch rule" referred to the distance the two sexes had to keep between them at all times. This was only relaxed for the end-of-term dance.

Despite warnings beforehand about the strict discipline, pupils still found it a shock. So was not being allowed make-up, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner. Like their 1950s counterparts, they had only a bar of soap, toothbrush and toothpaste for personal hygiene.

AT first, deodorant was the thing Harriet missed most. "You were so conscious that you smelt," she says. "As the weeks went on, every single one of us smelt. We were all in the same boat and there was no point worrying.

"In the end we were missing stuff like freedom and the little luxuries that you take for granted when you have them. Like the ability to go into your kitchen to make any food you want at any time, and not be limited to liver, Spam fritters, lumpy custard and suet pudding."

The 1950s lessons were hard too, and totally different to what the pupils are used to. "All of us just sat there on the first day and went, 'what on earth are they talking about?' because we just didn't understand," she says.

"Because of the short space of time we had to study for the exams, we had to cram in things very quickly. Everything was done at 100mph. You didn't have time to go back and say, 'I don't understand'.

"Slowly, we did get into the swing of things, and certain things came together. We were just not prepared for the exams."

The Kings teenagers failed half of the 120 O-levels they took in maths, history, English and English literature. Many of those who did badly were high-achievers in this year's GCSE exams. This was taken by some as proof that modern GCSEs are dumbed-down versions of the former O-levels.

Harriet thinks it's unfair to say the Kings pupils' failure means standards are slipping because they had so little time to study for the TV test.

Other aspects of discipline were better received. Many of the girls enjoyed paying attention to their deportment - "because you felt very elegant as a person, and sitting up straight, instead of the usual slump, you felt more attractive".

In some ways, it was just a matter of adjusting to the new regime. "You got to know when to talk and when to hold your tongue, which I'm not very good at," she says.

"I felt, as 1950s children, we had a lot more respect for our teachers than maybe people do now. Just calling them 'sir' and standing up when they walked into the room. The only thing I would say is wrong is that under the system the teacher never had any respect for you. They could basically treat you how they felt. That's why a lot of people in the school found it hard. To get respect, you have to gain it - and they didn't gain it."

Reaction since she left Kings has been mixed. Some people have noted how accurate it was, others have said the opposite. Teachers at her school have also inquired about the experience. "They want to know what it was like, what the teachers were like, and what the discipline was like," she says.

"It was slightly bizarre at school because people were coming up and saying, 'you're the girl on telly'. I was embarrassed about the whole thing."

The producers have already talked about a reunion show. Harriet has already met up again with a fellow pupil, Joe. He came to stay with her family for the weekend.

She became very tearful when he was expelled from Kings for bad behaviour. "I was very upset when he went," she says. "I got close to him while I was in there. Not in a girl-boy way, but I was able to talk to him."