What does a reception starter need for school?

[ActonBell]

We’ve just had our welcome pack for DS for school as he starts in September. It talks about uniform and PE kit and the school provides a book bag.

What else will he need? Do they have things like a pencil case when they are this little? Does he need a rucksack as well or will the book bag do?

He’ll start off on school dinners so he doesn’t need a lunchbox.

Thank you!

Depends on where you are OP. If you are in Ireland then everything including all of the school books and writing books, pencils, colours, glue sticks etc etc

Hi. My DS started September and the only thing we had to buy was uniform and a water bottle. Like your school they provided a book bag. They have all pencils there in their own pots due to covid.

Mine takes a bag with coat, water bottle and snack. No book bags since covid.

I’m in North England - they haven’t said anything about books, etc. They have a visit day later in the summer so I might be able to ask then.

Thanks @JivingCoffeeCup and @welshweasel - that’s helpful.

All stationery will be provided by the school so no pencil case required. Book bag and, in normal times, a draw string P.E.bag, but in most schools, children are wearing their kit all day on P.E. Days, at the moment. No lunchbox if he’s having school meals, but he may need a water bottle.

Each school will have its own expectations but I would say no pencil cases for reception.
They will need:
A change of clothes to stay on their peg in case of accidents, not sure if covid has changed this.
A named water bottle brought in every day. Don't bother with an expensive one, they lose them very very easily. Do not put water bottle in the book bag.
Wellies in winter, maybe to stay in school.
Sunhat in summer

At the moment my school is discouraging any type of bag being brought in, so no need for rucksack. Carry water bottle and book bag and everything else the child will be wearing or stays in school.

Usually just a book bag and a water bottle. Label absolutely everything.

School provide a stationary, at least in infants.

I would start with the book bag and see how it goes - rucksacks might be great for the child, but reception classrooms often don't have the storage space. Book bags fit into a plastic box during the day in class.

You'll need lots of name tags. Lable everything. Even then, expect to lose stuff, then find it again weeks later in someone else's pe bag. Lable somewhere your child can see the name and recognise it.

Same with water bottles. We got through loads. Lable those too.

Expect many many letters and emails from school, so get into a system of checking daily, dealing with ASAP and filing so you don't forget dates. I keep a calander on my phone pretty much just for school stuff.

Enjoy! My eldest goes into year 13 next year, and it seems like 5 minutes since he was joining reception!

What @xyzandabc said 👌🏼

I don’t think he’ll need pencils or a rucksack. The school book bag tends to fit nicely in the ubiquitous school trays and a rucksack would be too big. Schools provide pencils these days.
Maybe PE pumps or trainers but for reception they may just do bare foot in the hall. By the time they’ve all got their shoes off and trainers on it’s the end of the lesson!
Maybe a named water bottle but some schools say you have to have a school one because 268 water bottles that all look exactly the same I’d the sensible option...

Wellies and other weather appropriate outdoor clothing (named).
Water bottle (named).
Maybe a change of clothes in case he has an accident.

Shouldn't need a pencil case or anything for early years (so might need one in y1 but not reception year)

Maybe some outdoor wear?

They usually need a water bottle. Some schools they can take a snack so depending on the school rule then a reusable snack container.

Shoes wise get something they can put on/off themselves. So unless they are very competent, not laces!

Brilliant - really helpful. Thank you! Yes, there are different arrangements for PE Kit at the moment but they need to bring trainers and a drawer string bag will be good for those.

DS is year 1. He takes his book bag provided by school altho I did also buy one but he prefer the nasty cheap one. Water bottle. Snack but in reception we didn't as they get fruit and milk. That's it. PE kit in start of the week and stays there all week. DS wasn't toilet trained so he also took in a bag for nappies and wipes / spare clothes. Wellies to keep at school all year.

I would get lots of extra socks in the appropriate colour. Mine seem to get through school socks remarkably quickly!

It might be worth finding out the policy on bags. If they can take a bag then a change of clothes (and underwear!) can be helpful as they do a lot of messy play, wet play, outdoor/mud or play and can get caught up in their play and have toilet accidents (one of mine used to soak themselves to the skin with over enthusiastic hand washing, and the other had to be reminded to use the loo having been previously toilet trained for a year in preschool!)

Wellies to keep at school is another one I hadn’t thought of. They provide them with outdoor waterproofs in reception for messy outdoor fun but he’ll need his own wellies obviously.

Our PTA sells an ingenious contraption called a ‘bottle buddi’ which clips on to the book bag so they can carry a water bottle easily. School were losing too many books when bottles leaked and ruined them.

The only thing I sent mine in with was a water bottle and a drawstring bag with spare uniform, underwear and pe kit.
The school provide everything else, also make sure you label everything single item your ds takes into school including his shoes and don't send him in with anything expensive, I learned the hard way got all excited about dc starting reception I went out and got them designer coats and expensive shoes the coats disappeared within a week and the shoes were scuffed the first day.

Mine just needs a book bag, water bottle and pe kit.

Sticky name labels for snack boxes, water bottles and uniform etc

I am a bit worried about the whole toileting thing. He’s great at using the loo and washing his hands at nursery apparently but he’s still quite resistant to the ‘big loo’ at home. He’s been toilet trained since 2.5 and rarely has accidents but I guess that could all change at school because it’s a new environment.

He’s an early summer baby so he’ll be one of the youngest. He only just turned 4.

Sticky labels - yes! Thank you.

Shouldn’t need to send a snack - in England infants get free fruit or veg snack and school milk is free until the term after they turn 5.

The loos in schools are much smaller than adult sized toilets. Tell him it looks like a real toilet but it is just a big potty.