•This article examines how the St Trinian's films (1954—1980) engage with shifts in the social organization of gender and class, while celebrating the defiance of social constraints on women. Focusing on the films' depiction of unruly female behaviour, the article addresses the historical and social dimensions of the films in relation to carnival, adolescence and education. The films express public responses to the increasing public significance of female youth, and celebrate the predominantly female environment of the girls' school. •
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