when did the shirt signing thing start?

[overthemill]

this morning got to school with my year 4 dd who goes up to middle school in september. discovered she should have brought in a plain shirt so everyone in the class could sign it! so I duly went back in with one (perfctly good, hoping it would last out another school year) and there they all were, excitedly wrecking each other's clothes with the teachers helping!! Astonoshing! So when did this 'tradition' start happening? (I'm guessing when proms and limos came into being) I am 50 (gulp) and we never did this

Overthemill, I'm only a few years younger than you and I rememeber some girls doing it after we'd done our O levels.

I can remember doing it after O'levels in 1987. I think we may also have done it in 1989, but can't remember why as we wouldn't have been wearing uniform. I am pretty sure I remember the school leavers doing it in when I started secondary school. Its possible that we did this when leaving primary school, but I might be getting this mixed up with the bigger girls writing on their white shirts at our street's Royal Wedding street party in 1981.

i did this when i left year 6 which was '96 and again when i left secondary school erm cant remember what that year was lol. Along with burning the awful tie

We did it when I left school in 1988, iirc school leavers had been doing it for some years. It was starting to catch on with younger pupils when I left.

Can (reluctantly) vouch that shirt signing was definitely around in 1984

Was done at end of GCSE year when I left 1989

We did it 20 years ago - leaving secondary. I've still got the shirt - complete with attractive under-arm staining because it can't be washed

DS2 is off to middle school in Sep but this year the class have made their own t-shirts to get signed on Wednesday.

Tbh it wouldn't have bothered me if they had used their own as they wear polo shirts and from Sept they need 'proper' shirts.

My year 4 DD is off to Middle school as well (Dorset) and came home with a letter about taking one item of clothing in for the last day on Tuesday. I'd briefly seen this thread earlier and good thing I did as I wouldn't have had a clue what the letter was on about.

We had autograph books when I left primary in er 1981 and sod all when I left secondary so all a bit new to me.

We did it in 1994

we didnt in 1990 but my youngest sister did in 1996. my other sister didnt in 1992
so
between 1993 and 1996 in our parts

did mine after GCSE's in 96.

didnt do it for primary school.

maybe dd1 will do it in year 6, will keep an eye on the school leavers this year so i will know soon.

My older brother did this and he left secondary in oooh 1979 I think.

I can't remember doing it.

well she has proudly worn it all last night and all night in bed! cute. still love to know earliest sighting!!!

Ive still got mine,from early 70s.I think its a lovely reminder of school days.
My dd2 is year 6 and leaving primary school on weds,I have bought her a school shirt from tescos £1.25 just for her to wear that day to be signed.

We did it after GCSE's.
In 1989

I had my shirt signed when i left primary school in the early 90's and i still have it.

They do it on last day of Y6 at our primary. It was new to me 2 yrs ago when our daughter did it. She still has her signed polo in the wardrobe. We didn't wear uniform at junior school (late 70s) but I couldn't swear to its not happening because I skipped the last year because I am supposed to be clever. Not sensible, though; that's different.

Good job my real name can't be seen. I have just had one of my worst ever days as a mum. Our son had his last day at primary school on Tuesday and they all went round the school getting their polo shirts signed. Two days ago it was very hot and the shirt was not smelling nice enough to go in the wardrobe. I had it hanging over the bannisters for 2 days and today thought I would try just a quick dip in cold water in the sink, where I could watch it didn't run - I reasoned that many times I'd had trouble getting marker pen out of their uniform, so the ink would not come out the instant I wet it.
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Pause so that you can all shout at me.
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Shout some more...
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It's OK, I'm used to it now.
Yes, the ink ran IMMEDIATELY. I was in tears even more then our son and for longer. I laid it on the lawn but although it didn't look too bad at first, the writing continued to bleed out. Husband advised putting in tumble drier, which we did. Most of the writing was gone - some black coloured ones still there, and ghosts of other colours but the shirt was mainly pale pink.

The only thing in my favour is that I had already taken photographs of the front and back plus the collar where his teacher had signed. I printed these out, found lots of pens, and our son kindly helped me recreate the shirt from the photos. We didn't do too badly and it was almost fun.

He will 'never forgive me, but won't stop loving me'. What a darling.
Just a second's poor judgement (due to the heat and lack of sleep?). If one mum reading this is saved from this terrible fate, it will have been worth my confessing.

Well we certainly did it at high school in the 90's despite the insistence of my form tutor she'd never seen any other school do it. Contradicted by mum also a secondary teacher that they'd in fact done it for years at all the schools she'd taught at.

But cocoa why didn't your soon take in a spare shirt to sign. Because your right it's hot and year 6 and above won't be smiling the most er fresh at the end of the day. Certainly at my school you wore one shirt as normal and put an unbuttoned one over the top to get signed. Or just handed it around it's easier to sign on a hard surface rather than one that was actually worn

i know its a zombie thread

Do I know you chocolateteapot ? We had autograph books at my school too.
I've still got mine somewhere with all sorts of really shit lovely verses written by all my class mates.

My Mum probably would have washed my shirt and bleached it to get another few years out of it had anyone written on it anyway.

I didn't realise that primary age children were scribbling all over each others clothes now I have no idea when that started as none of mine ever came home with graffiti on their clothes.

We did it in 1969.

Oh I didn't realise at first this was a zombie thread.
Cocoa, what to do about a sweaty shirt worn all day in a heatwave though?

We did it when I left school circa 1991 however we also chicked eggs and flour at each other so I didn't keep my shirt.
DS's primary school gave them TShirts to sign when they finished year 6, they were lovely had class picture on the front and they got to sign them at end of class.
He's just finished year 11 and has his signed shirt hanging up in his room.
We went on holiday straight after GCSE's and he met a great group of friends at the teens club and they had a shirt signing session at the end of their holiday although they all swapped numbers etc too so are still all in touch

Did it on last day of secondary in 1983