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

Narrowboatnan I was going to agree with you about dishcloths, I didn’t knotany .in my day binca was the thing. We were a family of 4 girls Somy mum had soooo many binka table mats she could have started a shop. Not sure if it was binca or binka so I’ve hedged my bets.

However it is now being said that it may be difficult to find young people with the manual dexterity to become surgeons as they don’t do much except swipe.
My sister teaches in an Arab country and she says the young children come to her not even able to use a pencil to write!

I went to a boarding school that was advertised in the school's marketing literature as a "college for young ladies". We had lessons on etiquette (including how to address various members of the nobility and Royal Family), flower arranging, how to arrange your weekly menu with your cook, how to hire and fire domestic servants and similar topics. I recall one lesson where we had to wear a cocktail glove on the left hand, and take the glove off the right hand. In the left hand we were to hold the right glove between the 3rd and little fingers, a cake plate (with cake and cake fork) between the middle and 3rd fingers, and a wine glass (full of water) between the thumb and index finger. We had to walk around shaking hands with each other saying "How do you do?", and not drop the cake or spill any liquid. I've never had to do that at any party I've attended, and I've never met the Queen or any other royalty, so the etiquette lessons were pretty much wasted, apart from having instilled in me a rebellious streak and hatred for inherited priviledge.

As so many others have said...

Algebra
Trigonometry
Logarithms

most other subjects have been useful at some time or other.

There is a focus on how to learn in many primary schools now & study skills / academic tutoring in some secondary schools. I could have benefited from that. I am a "learner" but found the school learning I experienced was not a natural skill I had! I had some dreadful teachers who would not get far today but also some brilliant people who helped me a great deal. Quality teaching goes a long way!

I can't say that any of my schooling was wasted, apart from games lessons and gym.

I'm sad about the bad press that maths is getting. Although not a particularly good maths student at school, a willingness to use and learn further maths opened many doors during my career. I'm grateful that I persevered, despite a shaky start. However, I don't think anyone ever told me that studying maths was pointless and I hope no-one will say that to my GC.

As you probably guessed, it was ten years of convent boarding school.

The rosary.
Irish language
PE
algebra
geometry
dormitory rules
bathroom rules as you had to get in the bath wrapped in a towel
being brainwashed
silence from 8 p.m. till 7 a.m.

I was going to mention those tables with old-fashioned units that we learnt in primary school- rods, chains and furlongs, gills, pints, quarts, bushels etc. However, as someone said, they often come up in crosswords and quizzes so it was not entirely wasted. The role of log tables and slide rules was replaced by the calculator but I had to plot logarithmic graphs in my first job. Used geometry a lot in building work and to calculate the height of my neighbours' trees.
The thing I wish I had been taught was to touch type. Then perhaps it wouldn't take me so long to type messages like this!

Trigonometry and Algebra, neither has been any use to me. I am 75 and have never needed either of them. The cookery classes were slightly more useful, starting off with cocoa and toast, building up to the grand finale making a Christmas cake!..not a lot of use, nothing about making good wholesome everyday meals!..hated school, loved adult education where I got most of my further education. I feel we learn what we want, when we get to choose the things we are really interested in.

Algebra, science, P.E

Archery

Ha, ha, this is making me laugh!

In Needlework we had to make our Dad's a tie for Father's Day - despite my sewing teacher living next door to my Aunt, so sh knew me, I must have been at the back of the queue when the fabrics were chosen, as I ended up with the most disgusting gold brocade curtain! My Dad was duly grateful and said he would keep it for best, funny really, we obviously never went anywhere requiring a tie after that?

Also, I've never felt the need to make another smocked apron!!

Various branches of mathematics, especially logarithms and using a slide rule for calculations is something I've never used, also vectors.

I took Latin to A level and Ancient Greek to O level and, as I'm an avid pub quizzer, some knowledge of the roots of words has come in very handy.

Things have changed and a lot of the information we memorised is easily looked up now. I've found Latin useful - but only really for plant names in my hobby of gardening. I really wanted to do woodwork bur girls had to do 'domestic science' instead. It was all very basic stuff that I knew already so a complete waste of time. I've taught myself woodwork in later life.

I’ve never had to knit a string dishcloth since I left school.

I’ve lived a happy and successful life without ever needing to know how to read contour maps.

At school I had to take physics and chemistry instead of cookery and needlework, the latter would have been of use to me.

A few of you have mentioned Latin - as I wasn't quite in the 'top set' I wasn't allowed to do it although I really wanted to, and would probably have been fine at it - I do remember the first week of every year at school from the age of 13 to 18, there being amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant being on the blackboard ....They made me do RE instead .... although the teacher was the best laugh in school, it did me little good!

Have to say this post has got me a bit nostalgic, although I did have the bullying at times (red hair, freckles and NHS specs, called me 'Elton') and low self esteem too (still have) generally I think my school days were quite good.

Yes me too Shizam I would love to redo English literature , just for the sheer enjoyment of it.

My hatred of Chemistry is probably the reason why baking is not one of my strong points GrannyLiv maybe if I’d worked harder and took more notice I wouldn’t have such a soggy bottom .

Wish I could go back and learn for the sake of it. Didn’t pay attention at the time. But also think skills lessons in basic plumbing, putting furniture together, etc would have been more useful than five years of Latin!

I am 82 and it was the first year of A levels I took pure maths applied maths chemistry physics and history,could not afford uni but had o fantastic career in nursing and did not use any of it

Sorry. Hetty, I disagree, all the things you mention as pointless, I have found relevant in my life, either work - well perhaps not quadratic equations or outnof work.

Nobody knows as a child or as a teacher what information will be important to a child in later life. Did you recognise when they were 5 years old those children who would become engineers or chemists or study medecine, pharmacy or the numerous other subjects were tables of chemical elements is really useful knowledge or who would work in industry alongside physicists and mathematicians and be glad they understood what quadratic equations are?

My knowledge of geography and the main imports and exports of various remote countries was very useful when I ran an information centre and discovered that a secrtary with a degree in geography had filed all the correspondance about a project in Taiwan in the folder labelled 'Middle East'

Over the last two years when Columbia and Venezuela have been in the news, my knowledge of those two countries their trade and geography has been very helpful in understanding the problems they now face and the factor in that country that lie benhind them, even though my knowledge of South America is based on detailed studies done for my A level geography many moons ago.

Education is for broadening the mind, developing your thinking! It does not need any other purpose!