A trip to the school café turned into an exciting statistics experiment for our A-level students, blending maths with a festive treat! As part of their final lesson before the Christmas break, the class decided to calculate the mean and standard deviation of their café bills. Armed with calculators and curiosity, they set out to see how their spending compared to the predicted average of £1. The results were clear: the mean spending was slightly higher than anticipated, with a few students going for an extra snack or festive drink—hardly surprising this close to the holidays!

But the fun didn’t stop there. The students used hypothesis testing to dig deeper, testing whether their spending truly differed from the £1 prediction. It was a brilliant way to see statistics come to life, with real data and a hint of seasonal cheer. Beyond the numbers, the activity sparked teamwork and plenty of laughter—a memorable way to wrap up the term and remind everyone that learning doesn’t always have to happen in a classroom.