Finishing yr 6 starting yr 7 - useful to know (a year on).

onlyroz

What's this about £30 for stationary? When I was at school a pencil, biro and ruler were sufficient, along with a scientific calculator.

Spendless

onlyroz wrote: »

What's this about £30 for stationary? When I was at school a pencil, biro and ruler were sufficient, along with a scientific calculator.

Scientific calculator, memory stick, mathematical items, such as protractor and compass, 2 A4drawing pads. I bought those elsewhere as I got them cheaper only to discover they preferred you to have the ring binder type, which I hadn't bought. Document wallet to put certain subjects work into. Pens, pencils, 12" ruler, pencil sharpener, rubber, selection of drawing pencils, highliter pens, glue stick. The sticky back plastic they use to back books with was also available to buy. I know this can be difficult to find late summer/early autumn so ordered it via school too.

Individually the prices were a lot cheaper buying through school. I just hadn't realised there would be a request to order it altogether and with little notice


I can't remember the whole list as we are more than a year on

Something else on there was coloured pencils. I didn't order these as over the years we've acquired enough to supply the whole Secondary school ourselves and with a younger child still using them I hadn't got rid. At the time I thought it would be one of those things you're asked to get and is only used once during their whole school life. How wrong I was! I found using coloured pencils was asked a lot in diff subjects, not just the art ones, but in geography and science also. Just glad I still had plenty in and hadn't got rid long ago when DS lost interest in colouring books.

.

gingin_2

This was a good thread, I can't believe we are at the end of the year. It's a relief.

I feel Senior school has been brilliant for my son. I know all schools are different but I think fundamentally they share the same values. They really take care of the new ones, they are given chances if they forget things, they seem to place emphasis on the older ones helping out the younger ones. DS has made really good new friends - I realise he was perhaps limited at his previous school just because it was small. He's been able to join clubs that he didn't have the opportunity to in primary and hes become way more independent. We had one issue with bullying, but it was one very damaged child that was tormenting half the class, he was removed and it really has been plain sailing since.

I know it makes sense but the responsibility really is on the child to organise themselves. I was so used to helping out and popping in to see the teacher at primary that its a big shock to have to hold back at secondary.

Only other thing I can add to things to remember is a plastic A4 wallet to hold letters and homework sheets.

Good luck to all new Year 7's 2012

Desperado99

Thanks for bumping this thread, DD starts secondary in september.

Our equipment list was £68!?! although £20 of that was for locker rental (doesn't include the padlock though)

Things I've been told:

buy a combination padlock instead of a key one.

Write names into uniform rather than using labels - apparently stuff goes 'walkies' and the labels are just cut out :eek: hard to do if you've written directly onto the clothing.....

Molly41

This is the first year in 17 years that I have not had to buy school uniform - where have all those years gone :eek:

Mrs_Arcanum

Good quality rucksack is essential - size dependent on locker availability, also flatter rather than fatter is best. All year 7's locally are referred to as turtles due to the really fat rucksacks. Avoid cheap rucksacks as they split or zips break under pressure.

If they have sweatshirts make sure you use plenty of fabric conditioner as this helps to keep them dry when they refuse to wear a coat because there is no where to keep one.

mishelly

At my son's school there were three P.E. kits we had to buy when he started, one for rugby, one for athletics and one for cricket. The cricket kit wasnt used till the summer term so I didnt have to buy it till after christmas but i wouldnt have known this if I didnt have some prior knowledge.

If lockers are available only certain types of padlocks will fit them, get the biggest/strongest one you can for the fit as the tiny ones can be pulled off.

Also, check if the school run trips in year 8 or 9. I'm talking about the ones where they go abroad or stay away overnight. If so, it might be good to put away a few quid a week to help budget for these, my son had one in year 8 and we got four months notice just before christmas, it cost us just short of £750 to send him to Germany for four days(!!!) - cost of trip plus passport renewal, spending money, extra clothes etc etc. It was certainly a struggle to find that much spare money.

I also wish I hadnt paid for a full years bus pass. My son hated the school bus and would regularly come home in tears because of all the kids on the bus were unsupervised and would just run riot. He now cycles and did this from about half way through yr 7 and we couldnt get a refund on the unused half of the pass.

If your child does cycle, teach them how to maintain their bike and how to repair a puncture. Keep a spare inner tube at home and be prepared for trousers to come home looking like they have been chewed by a puppy

onlyroz

Wow, how times have changed. When I was at school if you needed glue or crayons or a protractor or art paper then the teacher would bring them out.

YORKSHIRELASS

This is brilliant. Keep the advice coming.

OK this is maybe a stupid question but I see kids walking to school with no coat in the rain. Do you just accept this and let them get on with it? My son will have a 10/15 minute wait between school buses and no bus shelter. Is it pointless trying to find him a "cool" coat???

Another thing that has just occurred to me is to make sure there is a mobile signal where he waits for the connecting bus. We live in a rural area and this isnt guaranteed. And yes I need to make sure he knows what to do if there is a problem with the buses.

I remember when my nephew started no-one told him that he should only take the books he needed for that day! My SIL found out that he was carrying every single book he had every day and it didnt occur to him to leave some at home.

Good advice about the decent rucksack too.

Spendless

YORKSHIRELASS wrote: »

OK this is maybe a stupid question but I see kids walking to school with no coat in the rain. Do you just accept this and let them get on with it? My son will have a 10/15 minute wait between school buses and no bus shelter. Is it pointless trying to find him a "cool" coat???

Good advice about the decent rucksack too.

School coat -you may wish to read another thread of mine -lol

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3472827=

I gave up insisiting he wore a coat tbh. He does have a lightweight jacket and I told him to roll that into his bag to 'humour Mum'.

Re bags - can anyone recommend me a large strong messenger bag? I don't want a rucksack this year as the 'in thing' for part of this school year was for other kids to go into child's rucksack as they walked to classrooms and upstairs. DS lost at least 2 lots of homework this way and got detentions for them and I know he did complete homework and put it in his bag as I watched him do it. The bag needs to be big enough to also carry pe kit on timetabled days (he doesn't do extra curriculum sport) which is 2x pe tops, shorts, trainers, football boots and shin pads. Any suggestions appreciated -thanks.:)