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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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!'

[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!

[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.