If you were born mid 80s, did your school do these things?

[Nostalgic80s]

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3?

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now)

Have swimming lessons at school

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary.

Have a school trip to France in secondary school

Have squash and biscuits for break time

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money

Do SATS tests at school

I know it’s a bit random but him or me please 🙏

Born in 1985
Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3?-yes, my neighbour ran a play school at her house so my mum sent me there 2 morning a week.
Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now)- yes
Have swimming lessons at school - yes
Have a school residential trip at the end of primary.- no because I grew up in Ireland where this not a thing.
Have a school trip to France in secondary school - yes
Have squash and biscuits for break time - no
Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money - no
Do SATS tests at school - no, again not done in Ireland.

Born in 81.

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3? - No, my mum was a SAHM and didn't feel I needed to. (I think it would have helped me be less shy.)

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now) - yes

Have swimming lessons at school - yes, we had an outside pool.

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary - yes, although I remember almost nothing of it.

Have a school trip to France in secondary school - yes

Have squash and biscuits for break time - not in primary, we had cartons of slightly warm milk

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money - I don't remember lunch money at all, must have always had packed lunches.

Do SATS tests at school - yes, I remember my mum telling me not to worry because they were testing the school, not me.

My DP was born a year later and had a very different experience though, as he went to a tiny private primary school.

Born early 80s

I went to a little village hall nursery school type thing… I was probably 3.5 when I started.

I was a September baby so started a few weeks before I was 5. We had people start in the January and the April too - I think in those days you started in the term you were 5.

Yes we walked to the swimming pool for lessons. It would have been third year juniors (year 5). Yes to residential in what would have been year 6.

No school trip to France but we did do a German exchange and some ski trips.

At infant school we could buy biscuits for 2p or something. I don’t remember squash. I had a little purse on a string.

No SATS until I was in what would have been year 9.

Yes to all of those. We would need 10p at break for a packet of crisps and 10p for a carton of juice. Nothing healthy!

in secondary school we had a tuck shop full of sweets, chocolate machines everywhere, can machines and snack stations selling iced buns, pizzas, hot dogs etc at break time and then more unhealthy food served at lunch. I had cheesy chips with gravy and a chocolate cake for lunch.

we did swimming lessons in primary and secondary and we did a school residential in year 6 and a trip to France in year 8.

I think yes to all apart from the money pot.

I didn’t actually go to school in the UK, I was living in the US through school. But I’ll give it a go.

Yes, I went to preschool and it probably would have been around 3, possibly 4. I was a “September baby” so the youngest in my year, so probably would have been closer to 4.

We had the equivalent of like EYFS at 4/5, so yes, but very play based. Proper sitting at desks looking ahead at the teacher school would have started around 6.

I don’t consciously remember swimming lessons in primary, but we must have had them. I remember being bussed off to bowling and dance classes for PE, so we must have also done swimming. I had to pass a swimming test in secondary school.

Our primary residential was to like an outdoor education centre. We learned about the wetlands and we had a school disco in the evening. 😬

I did go on a European residential in secondary school, but it was optional and, as you’d imagine, very expensive. Probably like £2000-3000, which was a hell of a lot in the 90s. We went to the UK, France and Italy and it was like 2-3 weeks long. The equivalent of the ski trips to Canada that some schools take today. No idea how my mum afforded that.

No, any snacks at break times we had to bring from home.

Prim school we had to bring packed lunches and secondary school was hot meals (actually they were quite nice!). It was a set cost per day and we would have been billed at the beginning of the term along with any other things, like school trips or equipment for photography or art class or whatever. I remember bringing in a cheque for it.

We did have standardised testing like SATS in both primary and secondary, plus other exams for university admission, etc. I remember my hand cramping filling in all the bloody little bubbles on the answer sheets. 😩

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3?

Went to playgroup at the local church for a couple of hours a few times a week.

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now)

Yes, sept-dec birthdays started in September, jan-march started after Christmas and the rest after Easter.

Have swimming lessons at school

Yes, we had our own pool so swam all the time.

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary.

Yes, I never went though!

Have a school trip to France in secondary school

Yes, it was dire!

Have squash and biscuits for break time

Yes, for the first few years.

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money

No, it was little brown envelopes.

Do SATS tests at school

Yes, we were what they called the guinea pig year, started when the curriculum was introduced, so we were 1st year to sit sats, non calculator maths gcse paper, AS levels and lots of other things!

Born right at end of 70s but close enough.
Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3?
Yes but only a couple of mornings a week

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now)
They had a split entry. I am a summer birthday and started in January.

Have swimming lessons at school
Yes

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary.
Yes, I broke my arm on it

Have a school trip to France in secondary school
Yes the entire school year. About 200 of us

Have squash and biscuits for break time
No

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money
No. Didn't have anything to spend money on in primary.

Born in 1984

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3?
No, went to a very informal playgroup for a couple of mornings a week max.

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now)
No, started after 5 but in Scotland

Have swimming lessons at school
Yes in primary and secondary

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary.
Yes- M-F but with new secondary peers rather than primary friends

Have a school trip to France in secondary school
Didn’t go abroad with school but there were plenty of trips offered.

Have squash and biscuits for break time
No

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money
No

Do SATS tests at school
No

I know it’s a bit random but him or me please 🙏

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3? Yes

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now) Yes

Have swimming lessons at school Yes

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary. Yes

Have a school trip to France in secondary school We had optional exchange trips, depending on the language we picked for GCSE.

Have squash and biscuits for break time No, just water.

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money No. Our parents paid money to the school and we were given lunch tickets.

Do SATS tests at school Yes

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3? No my mum was a stay at home mum, she dropped me off at playgroup one morning a week that was it until school.
Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now). I think it was the term I turned 5, I was a May baby so I would have started school at the beginning of the summer term (April) age 4.
Have swimming lessons at school. Vaguely remember having about 6 lessons in primary school one term. Nothing regular.
Have a school residential trip at the end of primary. Yes! We stayed overnight for a few nights.
Have a school trip to France in secondary school. No. No trips abroad in secondary. One residential to an outdoor centre in yr 8, then another in yr 10 was all I think.
Have squash and biscuits for break time. Can’t remember any snacks at break time in infant school. In junior there was a tuck trolley you could buy iced gems and wagon wheels off if you were lucky enough to have dinner money. My mum sent me in with fruit.
Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money. Had packed lunches.
Do SATS tests at school. Yes in year 6 and year 9

Point 2 depends on where you live, in Scotland children are between 4 and a half and five and a half when starting school (now and back then)

Sorry had to quote to see the questions! Very mid 80s child here
Went to church playgroup at 3
Started school the term after turned 4 (they had new kids in the reception class at the start of every new term as a result)
Had a swimming pool at school so yes had lessons (very normal school, not at all posh!)
Yes to year 6 residential
Had the option to go to Calais in secondary school, but didn't
Can't remember squash and biscuits but do remember warm milk cartons, yuk.
Can't remember about money but would definitely have had it at secondary, primary I was packed lunch
Did SATs in year 2, 6 and 9. They were still doing year 9 Sats when I started teaching as well.

Early 80s baby but yes to all of these

Ahh @NerrSnerr we had a German exchange in year 10 that was alcohol fuelled too, I fractured my ankle falling off a table dancing to the ketchup song 😂

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3? No; straight into reception in a tiny infant school
Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 - yes but there was a January intake too.
Have swimming lessons at school - only if you could already swim haha. Otherwise you were left in the little pool to splash about
Have a school residential trip at the end of primary. Yup - Monday - Friday near Whitby
Have a school trip to France in secondary school - German exchange, French exchange and a Dordogne water sports trip
Have squash and biscuits for break time - I have zero recollection of this actually
Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money - also the camera film pot here too

Yes to everything except the juice and biscuits. Our primary school had a swimming pool!

I didn’t go to nursery, just to playgroup and play school.

I started school the term I turned 5, which was Easter term.

We had swimming lessons at the independent primary I went to but not at the state one I attended after we moved.

There was a residential at the end of primary, but I was ill and couldn’t go.

I didn’t attend secondary school in the UK so no trip to France.

We had milk at break.

I don’t get the pot of money thing? When I was at private school the meals were included and at state school there was a little brown envelope that was sent home at the end of each week which your parents popped the dinner money in if you were having school dinners.

I can’t remember if there were SATs or not.

My children were born mid 1980s.
They went to playgroup three mornings a week when they were 3,
They were both summer born so started school mornings only in the January after they turned 4, then full town after Easter
They had milk (no biscuits) at break time
They did a residential in year 6 at primary school
There was a voluntary school trip in secondary school to either Germany or France depending which they were raking for GCSE.
Yes they did SATs.my eldest DC was in the first school year to do Sats. They did then in year 2, year 6 and year 9.

I was born mid 80s, went to school in greater London

I went to a preschool at 3, just a couple of mornings a week

I started school the September after I was 4, but I only went in the mornings until after Christmas. Older kids went full time earlier and summer babies went part time for longer.

Yes I had swimming lessons at school, we were fortunate we had one on site (not a posh school, it was an above ground pool with a hard plastic cover).

Had residentials y5 and y6

Not France, but went to Italy skiing

No squash, biscuits or money pot. But we did have a tuck shop that sold puffs and fish n chips crisps run by the year 6s

Yes I did sats at school

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3?
Once toilet trained so age 2.5 I went to play school a couple of mornings a week.

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now).
Yes I think so.

Have swimming lessons at school
Yes, year 5 or 6 I think.

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary.
Yes, PGL.

Have a school trip to France in secondary school.
We had a whole year group Battlefields trip which was mostly in Belgium, but we did a few sites in France too. One of my DC was offered this but school only had 50 spaces so missed out.

Have squash and biscuits for break time.
Only squash and snacks that my mum sent with me. So it was fruit for me and a tiny bottle of squash for the whole day - primary and secondary.

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money.
Nope, but a bread roll was 20p, butter was 10p and they were the best.

Do SATS tests at school.
Yes, year 6. I think I might have been in the guinea pig year.

Yes nursery aged 3.

September baby so I was nearly 5 when I started reception anyway.

Yes swimming lessons.

Two residentials at end of primary- one in year 5, one in year 6.

We did a day trip to France to see the Somme Battlefields in Year 9.

No squash and biscuits - we had milk.

No money pots - but the tuck shop did raspberry jam sandwiches on white bread, and crisps. I used to take a packed lunch in one of those plastic cases with Disney characters on.

Yes SATS in year 2,6,9.

I was born in 85.

May differ as went to private school…

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3? - Yes it was attached to the prep school.
Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now)- yes
Have swimming lessons at school- Yes and we had an outdoor pool that was used in summer
Have a school residential trip at the end of primary- No
Have a school trip to France in secondary school- yes
Have squash and biscuits for break time- milk and biscuit
Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money- no
Do SATS tests at school- no

Did you go to nursery/pre school age 3? - Yes

Did you start reception the September after you turned 4 (like children do now) - No, started reception the term after turning 4 so I started in April.

Have swimming lessons at school - Yes, every week for all of junior school.

Have a school residential trip at the end of primary. - We had a school residential trip every year for all of junior school, so from year 3. All of juniors went at same time.

Have a school trip to France in secondary school - No.

Have squash and biscuits for break time - No. We had milk in infants, don’t think there was anything to eat though. Nothing at break time in juniors.

Have a little money pot for your break/lunch money - No, although I had packed lunches so didn’t bring in any money.

Do SATS tests at school - Yes, in Year 6 and Year 9, the Year 2 SATs were brought in when I was in Year 3 so I just missed them.

I went to play group that my mum ran when I was 3, then did a thing called “rising 5s” the year before I started School.
Started School in the August (Scotland) The cut off was March, so February burn kids started when they were 4 and a half, March born kids start at t and a half.
We had swimming lessons once a week for a term from primary 4 to primary 7
We didn’t have a residential trip.
I had packed lunch at first, but later we brought money in once a week for school dinners, there was no break time tuck shop.
We didn’t do SATs in Scotland. I don’t recall any kind of testing at all.

Additional things not on the list -
We had a TSB savings account, you put money into a special envelope and you got a sticker on the front that said you’d saved some money, there was a card inside which tallied your savings.

All the local schools had a netball and football team and we played matches against each other for a league shield.
Schools definitely did close when the heating wasn’t working, or if there was too much snow and the pavements hadn’t been cleared.
There was no school uniform.

Mine born 1986, 1988 and 1992. They didn’t go to a childcare type nursery, I was a SAHM, but they all did nursery school in the next village three mornings a week from the term after their 3rd birthdays ( or perhaps the term they turned three). Playgroup was available in this village the other two mornings, from age 3, and an informal drop-in mother-and-baby group.

They all started primary school the September after their 4th birthdays, there was only one intake.

The village primary school had an outdoor swimming pool that was only waist-deep by the time they were 9. It’s a car park now. They did swimming lessons through each summer term, but mine didn’t learn to swim there, they had lessons at the indoor pool a few miles away.

I don’t think they had squash at school, can’t remember if they had milk at playtime, ir water and fruit.

They kept switching between packed lunches and school dinners, and took cash to pay for them.

Residential trip in Y5 and Y6, I think, one was a water activity centre, one more historical in a country house.