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Comprehensive schools were set up in the 1960s by the Wilson government, replacing the old system of Grammars and Secondary Moderns (where you went and a lot of your future depended on the dreaded 11 plus exams — this system still prevails in Northern Ireland and small parts of England, and a variation on it can be seen in the Harry Potter books and movies).
School buildings in the UK widely vary in quality, from Victorian era to brand new. On TV, many are Victorian. Fortunately, the days of the outside toilets and outside swimming pools are gone. Actually, the "outside" has gone too, having been sold off to property developers.
British school pupils in almost all cases are required to wear school uniform and you can spot a troublemaker from a mile off by the fact that he or she isn't wearing it properly (skirt too short, tie askew, top button undone). Male troublemakers are similar, save for the skirt (unless they live in Scotland). It is of note that in some schools, not wearing one's uniform correctly has encroached en masse, to the extent that very few pupils wear the entire uniform correctly.
These troublemakers also like to smoke behind the bike sheds, where romance also takes place. (Presumably, the smoke obscures said romance.) (These days smoking in the Staff Room is illegal, so pupils and teachers both disappear behind the bike sheds where they carefully ignore each other)
Kids in glasses are generally portrayed as 'swots', as are "prim and proper young ladies" (e.g., Hermione Granger from Harry Potter). The former get bullied, the latter may turn out to be Beautiful All Along.
Gangs are common, both of the good ("let's have a jape") and bad ("let's nick the smart kid's lunch money") variety. Kids in TV schools display a far greater degree of coordination on their own than one ever saw in real life. The teachers have to be called "miss" or "sir" (a policy that only actually happens in some schools) and are generally highly strict. Whatever you do, don't annoy the Head Teacher.
They used to be able to administer a caning, but this was stopped in the 1980s; many a media commentator has called for its return. Highly popular for the expected hijinks the students (and also often teachers) will get up to, because really, really shouldn't get up to them. Such shows are naturally prone to Dawson Casting.
Scottish state schools aren't called comprehensives; typical terms are "high school" "academy" or "secondary school". There are a wide range of other differences, but none of them are relevant to the trope, except that uniforms seem to be more optional.
See also British Education System. Compare and contrast with Boarding School, the other British education trope.
Examples: Comic Books
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alternative title(s): Good Old British Comp
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