to ask for tips/advice for someone with school starter in Sept?

[cjt110]

Was asking on another thread about the second mortgage I need to take out for the school uniforms.

Wondered if anyone would like to share any advice, tips or stories for those with children starting school in Sept?

Apparently when I went for my first day of school, on returning home I declared to my Mum "That's it. I've been to school now" Never mind I had another 17 or so years to do in education!

Asda uniforms are good and cheap if you are allowed generic stuff!
Name everything but also expect to never see it again.
Take a snack when you pick the child up from school, they'll be so hungry!
Don't pack them anything they can't undo themselves in a packed lunch. Practice packed lunch situations in advance to check they can cope.
Don't plan anything busy for the first half term. Let them vegetate.
Limit after school activities to start with.
Leave the house 10 minutes before you really need to to allow a cushion of time for an emergency poo etc.

Good ideas Kop :)

Following as dd is starting in September too and I'm so clueless!

When do I need to start buying uniform? How much of each thing will I need? Like tops etc? Or do the school usually send you a list of what you should get?

Stripe At the meeting we are attending tonight, we get a fair bit of info, including, I believe, a uniform list.

WRT how many of each item, the responses are varied - See my thread here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3271067-to-ask-how-many-uniforms-you-need-for-1-child Our school has logos on the poloshirt and jumper. The poloshirt is described as "gold" so difficult for us to buy plain tshirts to go under jumpers.

Ah great, we have an information evening on the 26th so hopefully I'll find out then! Will look at the thread, thanks

Go to the summer fair, if you’re lucky they’ll have a second hand uniform stall. STOCK UP!!! Never underestimate just how filthy a child will get at school, how many pe kits and jumpers will be lost and how quickly they grow out of it all.
Book an appointment at Clark’s the day before they start, you’ll beat the crowds and the shoes should hopefully last a bit longer.
Invest in a really good water bottle that they can’t chew on, won’t leak and is easy to clean (we’ve got a metal one now).
Get a big permanent marker and write their names all over their shit but not on the label as some sneaky bastards just cut the label out and keep your fucking jumper.
Be nice to the teachers, it’s not the same as preschool they can’t talk to you every day and tell you what they have been up to. You quickly get used to your child telling you they have done nothing and don’t remember what they had for lunch!

As a teacher and a parent - label everything! I've bought some sticky name labels that I put on clothes/ shoes / water bottles / hats etc

You'll need loads of uniform, 4 year olds are messy creatures.

It would be good if your dc can get themselves changed for pe, go to the toilet and wipe their own bottom.

Keep a spare set of clothes in their pe bag in case of accidents.

Good luck, my youngest is starting school in September.

Whats a summer fair? Aren't we way past that? Or will it happen before Term in Sept?

Get your child used to dressing and undressing themselves, including shoes now.
Make sure they are competent cutting up their food themselves, carrying a plate around, pouring water from a jug into a cup.

I've found over the years that having a secret box with a spare pair of school socks, PE socks, spare tie, pen/pencil/rubber/glue stick/ruler - in fact anything that will mysteriously have gone missing is a life saver. I also hang on to the last pair of outgrown shoes and trainers in a safe place for the times they are left somewhere

Summer fayre at most schools generally are happening between now and end of term. My school one is June 22nd. This half of the summer term is when these things happen.

We have gold/egg yolk yellow polo shirts too. I have never found the same shade without it not really being worth it financially. John lewis had high cotton content so creased like anything and went baggy, Tesco was too dark, Asda too light and faded to a lemon colour. So we have always ended up with the logo shirts! 3 shirts did an entire school year and a half though, so not too bad financially really.

Make sure they can recognise their own name (and possibly first letter of surname if there is likely to be others with the same first name).

Find out if your child is worried about anything. DD was worried about what happened if she needed the toilet; DS wanted to know if there was train set. Finding the answers to both these questions was reassuring.

Once your child starts don't sweat the small stuff. It's not the end of the world if their reading book isn't changed one day; it is a problem if it hasn't been changed in a month.

Befriend a parent with an older child at the school. They will become your fountain of knowledge about all the things that school has forgotten that parents don't automatically know (like the fact that actually your child should be changing their own reading book, and that parents can come to the assembly on the last Friday in the month).

Summer fair also a good time to get an unofficial nose round the school.

Keep one set of uniform (or at least a polo shirt) for best - for photograph day and any special occasion like Awards evening.

Take what your child tells you about school with a pinch of common sense - children will tell a tale from their own point of view and often miss out crucial facts that change the context of the whole situation (this may be deliberate to avoid getting into trouble or innocent in that they don't realise the relevance of the missing information). If your child says something that concerns you, ask the staff about it before reacting. Hopefully, the school will also take what your child says about home with a similar approach.

M&S have 20% off uniforms at the mo.
Get polos and jumpers big enough to make it easy to get changed for P.E.
Order sticky name labels from the internet now and stick on water bottles/ shoes/ plimsolls etc.
DS was and still is a mucky pup. Three jumpers and 4 pairs of trousers was the minimum I could get away with.
Always send them in with a coat. Practice doing up the zip. Practice shoes on and off. Practice getting changed and putting all taken off clothes on a peg or together.
Large font Cash's name tapes that you sew are great for child recognition of their own name, won't fade or fall off.
Buy socks with coloured toes or heels so they can pair them and recognise them more easily.
Plimsolls come up very big. Definitely think of buying a size smaller than regular size or better still get them fitted.
Sew or buy a heavy duty drawstring bag for P.E. The flimsy nylon ones are crap and won't last.
Make use of the second hand uniform shop. Pre loved PE kit and jumpers are worthwhile as they will have already shrunk in the wash and will feel softer.
If your year R child has a delayed start then make use of nice trips once other school children have already gone back ie Duplo days at Lego land etc. You won't get that time again when it's nice and quiet.
Keep after school activities to bare minimum.
Expect crap behaviour at home whilst they try their best to reign it in at school
Take a snack to the school gate but don't be that parent who gives them sweets or ice-cream every day.
Read the newsletters

Put dc's name on everything (we bought name stickers and a sharpie).

Expect them to be tired and hungry when you pick up, and don't be too ambitious about doing things after school in the first term.

Fine a parent of an older child to tell you if you should expect any special events (nativity plays, sports days, world book days).

Check dc's bag for letters and invites regularly (including any small pockets or similar).

Keep a stash of appropriate presents for the millions of birthday parties.

If you can't get any info out of your dc about the day (my dc would always insist they had done nothing all day) try asking what the funniest thing that happened that day was, or what the naughtiest thing someone did was.

Also, repack any pe kits or swimming kits straight back into a kit bag from being washed and keep near the door.

If you have a girl who may be wearing tights remember spare socks in the pe bag.

If you are planning on going to Clarks for school shoes towards the end of the summer, ring to book an appointment. Alternatively get a foot measured, watch the you tube training video, and measure them at home.

Buy shoes as near to starting as possible.If you get them in plenty of time you can guarantee a growth spurt.

Anyway, back on topic...!

There's a huge amount of school "admin" at times, particularly at the start of year. Try to keep on top of it by dealing with it straight away if possible. So special events saved into your phone/diary as soon as you hear about them, permission slips and other forms completed and returned straight away, RSVPs to parties done quickly etc. If this stuff ends up in my general pile of paper, it has no chance!

Hope it gave you all a titter anyway... no pun intended!

How do you keep track of said events Cornish

I put them all in my phone's diary plus a reminder. Usually for the night before but longer if I need to buy or make anything!

We also have a Facebook page for the class parents (set up by us not the school) and we remind each other of stuff on that too.

Make sure you buy shorts/ summer dresses as well.

The first two weeks of September can be really hot and if so, all the older kids (or ones with hand me downs available ) will be in summer uniform for a little while and your DC will want to fit in. But there will be NONE at all in the shops by then.

If it’s proper shirts (as opposed to polo shirts) buy short sleeved ones. Much easier for child to get on and off, and better for mucky activities too.