When did you start school, what were the arrangements (ie half days at first etc) and how long ago was it?

[IdrisTheDragon]

Just feeling interested in other people's experiences, as it seems things may have been different from today when many of us started school.

I started school in 1980 when I was almost 5, as my birthday is in September. Full time from the start, although you had to go home for lunch for the first week. Children born from September to the end of February started in September, the others started in January. I do remember there being a few children from the year above in my class when I started - not sure when they went up into their "proper" class. Probably after Christmas.

[TabithaTwitchet]

I started in 1985. I have no idea what time of year, but I do remember there were some children who had already started before me, so it was probably January or April rather than September.
I think it was full days from the start, but it was a private school and we had Wednesday afternoons off (think this was also the case in the 2nd and 3rd years), and we had a rest time in the afternoon on little camp beds with scratchy blankets in the school hall.

[KembleTwins]

I started in 1980. I started after the Easter holidays, and was 5 the following August. The half term before I started, I went one day a week. Before that, I was at playgroup, in the village hall. My Mum ran the playgroup though, so I wasn't away from her. Almost all the kids at playgroup went to the same village school. There were only 11 of us in my year. My DDs will start next Septemper, 1 month after their 4th birthday into a school with more reception kids than there were kids in my whole school!

[Horton]

I started shortly after my fifth birthday in November 1973. We had recently moved house or I suppose I'd have started in September. I can't remember a single thing about the details or whether I did full or half days (I assume full as my mum was working) apart from the feeling of panic when I went into the classroom for the first time and thought 'AAAARGH, they all know what to do and I don't!'

[LIZS]

I'd have to doublecheck but bleive my mum was adamant I wasn't to go to school before I was 5. I went to a private school Kindergarten/Transition in 1972 and stayed all day but had a "rest" after lunch. There wasn't a place at my brother's tiny C of E primary for when I turned 5 so I spent a few (maybe 4 or 5) terms at the private school until a place became available there, joining an established class mid year.

[CarGirl]

1977 I started in the January at 4.5, school dinners were something like 15p or you could go home. Teachers saw us across the road on the way home, walked to & from home ourselves.

I have friends the same age who lived in Surrey, they did not get to start school until the September when they had turned 5 in the June!

[Wandaaa]

I started full time just before my 5th birthday in September 1975, there were 10 of us. More children started later, probably January and 8 of us older ones moved into class 2. Nearly all the children went to the nursery attached to the school in fact the only boy who didn't cried for about a week, which is why I was so determined that DD would go the nursery attached to our local primary school and thankfully she got into both.

[justaphase]

I started in 1980, in another country.

I was 7 years old.

Had been attending nursery on a full-time basis until then but this was pure play; our parents were in fact advised to not teach us to read or write before starting school (although aparently I tough myself).

We did 7.30am - 12.30pm or 1pm - 6pm, so half days throughout our education.

[FimboFortuna]

Yes tracing paper like loo roll (think you can still buy it!) and carbolic soap.

[ZZZenAgain]

started school at 5 (convent school in Africa, was just half days, finished at lunch-time)

[Hulababy]

I started school 32 years ago. I was 4y6m. Apparently I was more than ready to go and was fine going straight into school full time.

My brother started school 30.5 years ago as a January starter, at 4y6m. I don't think he did half days. I know my mum talks about how tired he was and once fell asleep at the table eating his dinner.

My sister started school 23y ago, as a January starter, aged 4y5m. Infact she was so ready to start school (would have been g&t these days if it had existed) my mum, with the GP/HV/nursery's backing, tried to appeal for her to start in the previous September but were unable. Again, I don't remember half days.

[happywomble]

Don't start on outside loos...ours had spiders in them and we had that horrid hard paper instead of loo roll.

[FimboFortuna]

Ooh Rusty, it still makes me shiver thinking about it, especially as you weren't allowed to wear your coat. Thankfully my parents moved me away to a school with an indoor toilet in primary 3 and where you stayed for school lunch or went home. I stayed for school dinners then. My old school was eventually demolished and an old peoples home built on the site.

I forgot to say, I started full-time straightaway.

[RustyBear]

Fimbo - our school had outside toilets but they were replaced with new ones the summer before I started. My brother remembers having to break the ice in the toilets - they used the coal hammer, which the oldest children (Year 6 now) also used to break up lumps of coal before laying & lighting the open fires. They also had to make a fire in the headmaster's house, which was just across the road!

[elvislives]

I started school in 1968 as a 'rising 5'. There were 3 intakes, September, January and Easter and you started at the beginning of the term in which you turned 5. It was full days from the off, 9 till 4 (although I must have gone home for lunch- I don't remember), and playgroups were quite a new thing so I would only have gone 2-3 mornings a week.

There was no induction or looking round the school and mums didn't stay. Just taken into the school hall on the first morning and left. I was called to "look after" my brother when he started 2 years later as he was upset at being separated from his mum

My own children started in September at 4.5 (DD) and almost 5 (3 x DS) and went for full days from the off. They had storytime at school one afternoon a week the term before they started to get them used to the school and the teachers.

[EccentricaGallumbits]

and t was welsh and i only spoke english.
and i remember being told off for taking my shoes off and going to sleep under the table.
god knows what my mother was thinking. i suspect PND after birth of younger sibling clouded her judgement.

[IdrisTheDragon]

Thank you everyone

As I thought there were people starting at not much older than 4 and being there full time a while ago, so it isn't a new thing.

I think formalised nursery class attached to a school is newer - I went to playschool up until going to school and think this was the usual thing to do.

[EccentricaGallumbits]

1977 started nursery class in school at just 3 (August birthday) half days. Reception, full days, at just 4.

DD1 started in january before her 5th bithday in april. DD2 started in september at 4.5 (birthday in March) half days for 2 weeks then full time.

[norksinmywaistband]

I started in sept 1977 just before I turned 5
Full days straight off, was also a Jan intake.
School dinners or home for lunch only option

[FimboFortuna]

I started at 4.5 in 1972. Everyone went home for lunch, which involved a bus there and back again! There was no such thing as a packed lunch in those days. The building was very old though and we had outside toilets, which were freezing.

[Khara]

September 1974. I was 4, 5 in the November. I can't remember much about it, but according to my mum we went full days, but had to come home for our lunch for the first few weeks - which was daft because by the time we'd walked home & back (20 min walk each way) there was little time for lunch and I was even more tired! There would have been a January intake too, so presumably the class was quite small at first.

[sophiaverloren]

January 1976, a few weeks before my 5th birthday. I was assigned a "big girl" to look after me for the first few days (a September starter). Full days, don't recall having been to the school before then, although it was next to the church hall and I knew it from the outside.
When I helped out at primary schools in 1988 for a bit, the system was that the Aspril starters spent a second term in reception class so only went up in January to second year (as it then was). I have no idea if that happened when I was there as I was in the term entry which it didn't affect !
DS has just started school at 4.2, full days and is (fingers crossed) perfectly happy. Of course, I was picked up at 3.15 every day and taken home (I have no recollection of this - but given my mum looked after my younger bro at the time, it must have been - this changed when he went to school) and DS has to go into childcare until 6, I'm thinking I had it much easier!

[ThingOne]

Started in Sept 1971, rising five. We were full time from the word go, although there were only 12-15 in the class the first term.

I settled very quickly and well but some children did not.

[RustyBear]

I started in September 1961, a month after my fifth birthday - but I can't remember whether everyone started in September (in which case some of them would have been nearly 6) or the term after their 5th birthday It was full days straight away - I got a bit upset, so my mum made me the original Rusty Bear to take in my pocket for comfort!

[gomez]

1976 - started Easter after turning 5 in January, straight into full days.

DD1 August 2005 DD2 August 2009 both staright into full days. DD1 was first year of a return to this in our area. Both have coped absolutley fine - DD1 had come from fullish days in Nursery, DD2 from school nursery 9.00 - 11.300. Both were 5 on starting (may/June birthdays) however.