What was the subject you learnt at school that you never had to use in life?

In all my years of travelling and living in France and Spain I have never had to use the phrases “my French exercise book is on the table” and “the cow walks down the road”

I have certainly needed “where is the nearest WC” and “how much does 2 beers cost please” but we didn’t learn that at my school 60 years ago. Pity would have been useful.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Not in 1959. Calendargirl 9 was equivalent to an A going down to 1. They changed it later to As and Bs etc. I still have the postcard sent from school with my results

Lucca
Bookbinding That came in handy for me as that is my trade. And hand/ machine sewing books.

Yes, a 9 was the worst grade at O level. A 1 was the best.

My class in 5th form learned how to make a cinder privy in Domestic Science. I haven't needed to use these skills yet and you don't see many cinders these days.

I dropped a lot of the subjects I didn't like or felt weren't going to help me - we had subjects we could choose from and some we could drop, for the last 2 years at senior school.

I dropped:

geography, Frech, R.E., cookery, needlework, physics.

I chose: chemistry, social studies, typing, shorthand, art.
(and got C.S.E.s in all). Obviously, English, Maths and some form of P.E. were compulsory.

Latin, Religious Instruction, and PE, especially hockey and anything involving ball skills were all a waste of time.

I loved maths and all of it, even the triginometry, proved useful.

Hmm, that's a question that's got me thinking..... I've gone through all the subjects I did and I think that, at one stage or another in my life, I've pretty much used them all. I suppose, if I'm pushed to choose something, it would be that I've not had much use of pi. And it's a pity I spent so long learning the chemical elements off by heart because I've not had much use of them either, apart from when I'm watching Pointless.

Boarding school in wales... until I rebelled and came home to local grammar school, which had ......boys ??

Bookbinding And weaving.

Is that tongue in cheek BBbevan?

A 9 in GCE was the worst fail wasn’t it?

?

I did sciences at grammar school. Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Physics baffled me from the first. However I revised it so well thatI got a 9 in GCE O level. Equivalent to an A. Wonders will never cease. !!!!
Never needed to use any of it since as I got degrees in Fine Art and Humanities

Geometry and trigonometry has been unused.

I got to choose if I wanted to learn French or German and chose German language. Little did I know then how useful it would become as I went to live in Germany when my husband moved with his job.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Catechism not a subject on it's own of course but part of religious education which figured large in catholic schools back in the day. Anyway a complete waste of my seven year old's time, it's never helped me in any of the jobs I've done ever!

Sewing, God I hated it, still do, can just about manage sewing a button on and will only do it if I have to.

I have a keen interest in history but have learnt far more since leaving school. In fact if you carry on reading all your life you never stop learning imo.

The best life skill I learnt at school, making a roux for a basic white sauce, for that I will always be eternally grateful.

Most kids turn 5 during reception year, and are 5 going into yr1.

So key stage 1 starts at 5. But school starts at 4. Although some do defer a year.

Reception starts at 4. Compulsary school age is 5 but reception entry age is 4. Often kids have only just turned 4 when they start reception so in order to be writing before school they would have to write at 3 and IMO 3 yr olds time can be better spent doing other things. Plenty of time later for writing.

By 5? Where did 3 come from?

Hockey, netball, and tennis have been no use at all in any way and I disliked them most of the time.

Interesting to discover that some of you don’t feel that being able to write is important.

There are plenty of lifeskills that you dont need to be doing by three!

Pecs, didn’t your grandchildren do colouring in?
Mine could write their name and a few more words before starting school. Interesting to discover that some of you don’t feel that being able to write is important.

Can’t tell you the name notanan but I read the Times- must have read it there. Not the reason now but in the future?

However it is now being said that it may be difficult to find young people with the manual dexterity to become surgeons

Being said by who?????

There are many reasons for doctor shortages but that is not one if them!

Writing doesnt teach you nearly as much dexterity or proprioception as dressing yourself, brushing your teeth, eating, even going to the loo! Im not aware of any app that has replaces any of those!

Why would pre school children have to know how to use a pencil?? It is not necessarily a good thing.

I have not used needlework, most maths, physics, chemistry and sport. I accept, though, that that's because I was absolutely useless at them. I'm sure all of these subjects are important and could have been useful to me if I had even a rudimentary understanding of them.

Subjects which have been more useful to me are English, French (though I can't really string many sentences together but have quite good vocabulary), Art, History and Geography. Later on, shorthand and typing enabled me to obtain employment throughout my working life (though I hated office work).