Silly questions about starting secondary school

Plastic wallets for loose homework sheets then a ring binder to keep them in at home with more plastic wallets - they'll get loads of loose sheets!! Spare emergency money hidden somewhere in the school bag, if there is an emergency or something is urgent then the school will contact you and let you know what is going on - KEEP YOUR INFORMATION DETAILS UP TO DATE - IT IS VERY IMPORTANT CONTACT NUMBERS BE KEPT UP TO DATE!! And check the school website - they're usually good!!

Your DS will be fine, you'll be surprised how fast he will settle in!! Cheap pens, as someone said good ones will be 'borrowed'. Don't panic about getting things sorted all in one go - a watch is a must, a cheap one will be okay. Do not allow them to check their mobiles - in our school a mobile out around school is instantly confiscated and a parent has to come in and collect it!! It is not returned to the child!! Be warned!! If the school has a good integration policy then you should be able to approach the school about anything you want to and I can assure you nothing you tell them will surprise them - they will have heard most of it before!! Your child will almost certainly receive a planner - USE IT!! This is the first point of contact between you and your child's tutor. CHECK THE SCHOOL BAGS for notes etc. PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE, PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE, PREPARE THE NIGHT BEFORE......got the message? Good luck and best wishes at senior school!! Let us all know how it goes!!

Each first year has received a toshiba tablet in part in a pilot scheme. Dh took dd to get it last night as I had another meeting. It's an android and dd was able to sign up with her gmail account. But it's bigger than we expected so having some difficulty with the packing into the bag.

I was impressed that they will have to scan a barcode in each class which locks down the apps, so no surfing the net or playing games. They will only be able to access what the teacher allows from her own tablet.

Not good as they are not exactly cheap! Son's blazer is an unusual blue colour so if the buttons get lost there is no chance of matching them - sure there will be 1 spare, but if the buttons come off, I think I will be taking the blazer back for the shop to sort it!

Neither of us are good at languages other than a teeny bit of French - neither of us took an 'o' grade in any language (other than English!)

We're pretty balanced across Arts & Science although dh is the geographer and I'm the French graduate. Won't be able to help ds with his SPanish though - unless I learn it in parallel!

Other bit of advice for new starts: make sure you've got needle and thread easily accessible. Both buttons on ds' blazer have already come off - lost one but that's OK as blazer came with a spare but I was having to sew buttons on in a hurry this morning!

lol - I've said to No1 son to try to do a medium knot and medium length tie and then to see how everyone else does it, I've said to him to try to start of in the middle with everything until he sees what the done thing is amongst High school boys - at least No2 son will have a better idea next year :)

Glad it is all going well - we need to divvy up the homework help, I've already been allocated Maths as OH is no mathematician! He is better as the namby pamby stuff like sociology etc. I'm the one for the cold hard facts, bit of a role reversal in our house - that's why he ended up being home with them until they went to school.

Still seems to be enjoying himself. Brought home his first homework (French) last night - but wanted his dad to help. I'm the one with the French degree! but I had just got him into trouble for not doing his chores! His dad sent him through to me.

Tie is not tied quite so neatly now!

still all going well prettybird? it's 'd-day' here tomorrow.....think we are all ready.

I've checked: none of his other friends at the school have it, so presumably it will be sorted some time later. Maybe 'cos the school uses a Q card to load up for school lunches, there is not the same urgency?

Ds hasn't brought home any school trips (nor has he had any photos taken yet): the the biennial ski trip is this coming February, so it is last year's S1s and 2s (ie now S2 and S3) who will be going. Just as well, as cash is a bit tight at the moment!

In previous years the young scot card was given on the first day of high school. I presumed they changed it this year as other parents complained.

She's one of the few not to bring home the £668 Switzerland trip.

School photo's were done yesterday and are terrible

my son didn't get his young scot card at primary either so I asked for application forms from the young scot people which I now have.......but I have now been told that they get their card issued to them at high school so I'll hold off for now.

Don't know which is worse. A short, rather vague list like the OP got or our incredibly detailed several page inventory filled with very specific and impossible to find items- Floppy half inch binder??? (can be green or blue, though).

Part of moving up to secondary school is that they take responsibility for their own stuff. I don't have anything to do with DD s pens etc. she just tells me what she needs.
Our school have a planner where any info is communicated via the pupil. Even for parents evening the child arranges the times that you as parent see the teachers.

Thank you for this thread, really helpful. DS has never printed a picture. In his life. But I do love sticky back plastic.

Stuff like French dictionaries and scientific calculators (at our school anyway) are sold through the school much more cheaply than in shops and you know it's the right one!
At our school kids are expected to give cover all their text books with brown paper as homework in the first week of term

If you have a girl, this might help. For my kids their calculators have been lost on more than one occasion (including once being gathered in with the class stock and the teacher denying that had happened), for DD we have got around this now as Sainsbury's sold the same calculator but it's pink. No one can claim it is the schools, and no one else seems to have one. That makes up for it being "pink".

Prettybird, I just presumed all state schools were handing them out

I have included a wallet for bus pass and dinner money in my list, if they put it loose in their bag, it will never get found. I got them the aluminimum water bottles (bargin at 75p each in asda at the moment!) I have also got them one of those big draw string sports bags for their PE kit (an addidas on , again, bargin off our "bag man" at the local market place) Oh and a geometry set and and angle cirle thing, I was told they use these from early on in yr7.

Ds was at a state primary too, in Glasgow

He says it is valid until December. I'll need to check the process out.

Dd came home before the end of P7 with it. They took the photo's in march and delivered them all to the school. She was 12 back in January but all her year got one as that is their card for lunches. My friend got one off the young scot website as her dd is at private school.

Groovee - when did your dd get her Young Scot card? 'Ds hasn't got his yet but to be fair, he's not 12 until the middle of September.

He's been able to load his lunch money onto a Q card.

Dd started on Wednesday. I gave her normal cheap pens. Some pencils as certain classes asked for pencils. Ruler, rubber, sharpener. She hasn't been asked for a calculator but will be receiving a toshiba tablet on Tuesday. All first years at her school are getting one.

So far they seem to be getting on ok and she has managed to put money on her young scot card and pay for lunch.

A detention for something you didn't do?! That's shocking!
And you were right to think they would never be worn! I've learned from experience (third child started secondary last year)

My kid's school sell gum shields if they remember to take the money in. They are strict at the beginning of term (especially year 7) about having the PE "uniform", particularly the right coloured socks ,but this usually tails off.

I'm not usually such a rebel about school stuff, but it makes me mad that they expect you to buy these expensive items which then never get used. And also its a pain for the kids having to lug so much uneeded stuff around school all day (no lockers or cloakrooms!)

It depends on the school's policy, but it is probably worth getting cheap versions of all of the specialist kit. When DS was in year 7 he got a detention in the first week for not having a complete PE kit (I hadn't labelled everything and he was missing a gum shield and tracksuit top). In the end I had to buy them but, as I expected, they never actually got worn!