to think I should not have to spend £60 fecking quid on a calculator

[GrrrrrrFFFFFSSSSSS]

DS just started at sixth form college, which, I understand is still a STATE education FFS!

It appears I have to buy him the following as literally NOTHING is provided:

-Paper/folders/exercise books

-£300 worth of text books and that's including some from the second hand bookshop and some cheap off amazon

• and just as I've recovered from the above, I'm now told I have to buy him some fancy calculator for A level maths which is 60 QUID!

Funny how they don't tell you any of this at the open evenings.

I am honestly staggered.

Tbh we're quite lucky the actual sixth form is free so I'd be picking my battles. Text books are necessary as used in lessons and useful to mark them (someone said libraries).

Anyone mentioned the cost of replacing the batteries yet - used to be eye-watering.

I paid more than that for a graphing calculator, 12 years ago. It's not the same thing as a scientific calculator at all, and you couldn't use a mobile phone app because you couldn't take a phone in an exam. Or at least I hope you couldn't! I hope you find a cheaper way to buy it.

I'm in ireland, like someone else up thread. I only realised recently from on here that you get pretty much everything supplied in schools in England! I'd love that! Next year when ds starts secondary school, he'll need an iPad complete with iBooks coating €800. Plus uniform, about €300-€400 Plus copies, refil pads, folders, pens etc. plus the "voluntary" contribution of another couple of hundred. I may sell a kidney.

There are quite a few on eBay. I'd bid if you have enough time. I think some people can't grasp that if you have a lower income or just have high outgoings that £60 isn't always available at short notice.

Colleges and schools should provide full equipment lists along with their offer letters. At least then you have time to save or can buy bit by bit.

Ds1 started engineering last year. They sent a list saying that only basic stationary was required, notebooks, pens, pencils, ruler, calculator (£10). The day he started he came home with a uniform list which had to be ordered through college and totalled over £200 for steel toe cap boots, overall, trousers and polo shirt. He already had safety boots due to his part time job but wasn't allowed to wear them as not required uniform!! All had to be brought and paid for by the end if his first week when he started on a Wednesday. Were certainly not rich but we managed I have no idea how those on lower incomes or just no spare cash managed.

Nope, snowbells, never had to buy notebooks or folders. Or textbooks. Pens, pencils etc are the only things I've had to buy. He went to an ordinary comp in an average town.

My family did not have to buy me anything when I was in sixth form, but that was, ahem, quite a long time ago! Everything was provided.

We are always reading how poor children underachieve, and no wonder. In answer to someone who raised a hardship fund, if there is one the college is not making this easily known. I don't expect I'm hard up enough for it anyway. But this kind of outlay, with no notice, when you have never had to pay for such things before, surely doesn't go down well even if you're well off.

Daisy, it will take several months of CB to pay for these books!

I am not going to kick up a fuss, but I might give some very polite feedback. Without using the word fecking.

Different schools do things differently.

I teach sixth form (though in a school, not a college). My students received their essential and recommended reading lists (admittedly, nowhere NEAR the £100 mark) today in their first lesson, and I gave them the usual spiel on eBay, Amazon, or charity shops for the uber-popular novels (English Lit A-Level).

Some of them had some free folders as I unearthed a load from the cupboard in my new classroom, and they were just taking up space for me. They don't get any paper or notebooks from me unless there's a very good reason. I told them the best value place in their town to grab some cheap lined paper, but they've got to look out for themselves now. They are, after all, sixth formers now, coming up to adulthood, and organising yourself in college is a good way to prepare for work or university. I am absolutely NOT going to be doing it for them (it's quite enough sorting out sixty needy year sevens).

To be honest, it wouldn't even have occured to me to contact parents to warn about books/paper, etc. They're sixth formers , they've had a long summer to go out and get their first jobs to pay towards these things themselves.

e bay we picked up one very cheaply and the sent it to us the next day. a few scratches on it but nothing more. essential for a level maths/further maths. the buying pens etc is a hangover from when kids could finish education at 16 - ie it is a choice to stay on for a level and therefore these things weren't free. however as our kids now have to stay on then imo they should get everything that all other school kids get in school. and this includes my big bug bear -the same free transport not have to pay for the bus. maybe someone in govt will wake up to the fact that kids cant leave at 16 any more and therefore they are kids not adults until they do leave and all kids should be treated the same.

As long as he looks after his textbooks he should be able to sell them on at the end of the course. I know it's 2 years away.

Eh, if it's any comfort, I'm still using my graphic calculator- it's right on my desk, and I used it five minutes ago! It's over ten years old, and I even took it into some introductory accounting exams a couple of months ago.

However, you should have been told about the textbook and calculator costs well before this. Like when he applied.

Good lord, I know I'm missing the point but I'm rather impressed that calculators that can do graphs have been invented

When did this happen?

I had to buy a graphic calculator when I was studying maths in 6th form (a LONG time ago), I don't think it's that unusual. But we weren't required to fork out for books, with the exception of sheet music for music performance.

I even took it into some introductory accounting exams a couple of months ago

I downgraded to a nice big desk calculator with huge buttons for my accountancy exams - much easier and I only needed the basic functions anyway :-)

DS went to an American state school and he needed a calculator... although if we couldn't provide it, the school would loan him one but then he wouldn't always have it and wouldn't have as much time to get to know his way around it. The basic one they recommend is the Ti-84 which is what most kids had, it is pretty standard here. We bought DS a Ti-89 platinum for his birthday in the equivalent of 5th year because we knew he would enjoy having it early and would learn how to use every last feature. It cost us $130 I think which is quite a bit more than 60 quid. However, it was much much easier for him to use and saved him quite a bit of time on exams which gave him a big advantage. He often had to show his working though so the calculator only gives so much, if you don't know how to do the work it will show.

He is now at college doing engineering and the calculator went with him. His teacher that recommended it knew that DS wanted to do engineering so recommended one that would work for uni too.

Have you used the isbn online to see if you can find the books cheaper?

I still have my working calculator from sixth form from... oh goodness, a long time ago. I also have my working graphing calculator from college. DS looked at it and told me that not a lot has changed.

I had no need for a graph calculator or even a scientific calculator for my accountancy exams.

I'd definitely be checking out other places for the books and calculator. I find that schools and colleges often don't pass on any savings to the students, but use it to make money for the college.

i have to admit to being a bit shocked at the costs of sixth form so far - ds just gone into Year 12. We are very lucky that we can absorb the cost although I did warn dh yesterday that I have no idea what the credit card bill is going to look like this month! DS1 is now out of uniform but they have to wear suit, shirt and tie so supplying a sufficient quantity of that costs a fortune - and that was trawling around on the M&S outlet site, ASOS sale etc. He needed school shoes as usual, more money.

He's not doing maths but I have spent quite a lot of money on textbooks for his subjects - one of his subjects is music which hasn't run at his school for a few years so no hope of getting the books second-hand. I have been warned by parents that one of his other subjects costs a lot in materials.

His train travel so far was free but I am now paying adult fare, costing over £20 a week while I wait for his student travel pass to come through - however, that will only give 1/3 off and costs £25 for the year anyway!

I do wonder how families who are finding it difficult anyway manage all this. Clothes/travel can be expected although if you simply don't have spare money, knowing about the expense doesn't necessarily help you save for it, but the books and supplies has been a bit of a shock, given that there seem to be almost no textbooks or materials for GCSE.

Ds also has to have a fancy Casio FX calculator for school. But I didn't think it too unusual really, as every year we have to buy every single bit of stationery for them since starting school on day 1. We also have to buy writing books and text books but we pay the school separately as they buy them for us.

Not in UK, but I am quite shocked that you don't have to buy anything at all.....

I have learned to buy exactly what they ask for on the list. If you try go the cheaper route and buy a cheaper equivalent, it wont do and you will end up buying two lots. Its for ease of teaching and less time wasting... They even specify what brand of water colour paints we have to buy!!

whois

Ah, but if I used an ordinary one, I'd have to remember how to use the memory! I could never get the hang of how to do without the instructions in front of me. I really don't know why. My cuddly graphic keeps previous calculations on the screen for me and has a great big ANS button.

She's never let me down, never.

FFS. Your child has had FREE EDUCATION for what, 11 years? And you're being asked to pay under £500 for 6th form essentials.

It's so depressing that you assume that the state will pay for everything.

I understand that it's annoying not to have had more notice (but I suspect you missed a form or two somewhere along the way).

How about, "wow, thanks for the thousands of pounds in tuition that I'm not paying for. Of course I'll pay for the rest?"

I am really surprised you have to buy your own books. When I was at school these were given to us, although we did have to buy our own scientific calculator

DS1 is now out of uniform but they have to wear suit, shirt and tie so supplying a sufficient quantity of that costs a fortune.

I absolutely despise this fashion for "business dress" in sixth-forms. At least non-branded supermarket school uniform isn't too bad, and it's all zero-rated for under 14s. (Which raises the question of why children's shoes still seem to be the same price, or more, than mine, but anyway...) Suits are expensive, but wearing them is often a necessary expense of paid work. Sixth-formers aren't paid, and it's nothing to do with preparing them for work. Sixth-forms try to send as many off to university as possible, where they will not be wearing suits!

I loved the college principles view on clothing. I don't care what you look like, as long as you turn up on time and work hard.