How to prepare child's room for secondary school

[user1461609321]

Hi everyone

For those of you with older children already in secondary school how have you organised their personal space/bedrooms for maximum efficiency eg do they have a desk in room for homework, where is the homework computer or laptop for homework?

Where are Oyster cards, school bag etc kept?

Are there any furniture items that have proved really useful for your preteen?

Do they have their own hygiene products in their room?

Own wash basket in room etc?

Finally did your year 7 have their own room or share with siblings?

Sorry for so many questions but really want to get it right

A piece of advice my child’s school gave was to have 1 storage box for all school books. This is to stop books being left over the room / house. She has a desk / laptop in her room, does her homework there (rest of house is too noisy).

I think you're overthinking this. I had a desk and computer in my room and had all of my styling products, think hair stuff, perfumes etc in my room. Normal stuff like wash stuff was kept in the bathroom. I always had a linen basket in my room to put dirty clothes in, not sure where else that would be unless you keep a shared one in the bathroom.

Also Oyster card, school bag - kept in my room.

Basically everything was kept in my room is the moral of the story 😂😂

Sounds great, my son often leaves his belongings everywhere or loses his things so really need some systems in place to help him out

Agree everything is ok my son's room and has a specific spot so I can tell him to tidy up and he knows exactly what's expected to be where.

Books all live in one pile on his desk, his bag goes up with him when he gets home and has emptied out his lunch stuff/water etc.

He is very vague and disorganised but he has not lost anything yet with this system in place, but we insist bag is packed (aside from lunch and phone) with correct stuff the night before.

The only things extra my ds's had when they started secondary were a desk (cheap ikea ones) and chair. I also bought them 4 magazine boxes ( i think they are called) 3 for their exercise books and one for loose bits of paper

Should say everything is IN my son's room sorry.

Washing and hygiene stuff can stay where it is now surely?

Make up, hair stuff etc probably in the bedroom.

School stuff kept in the same place. Doesn't matter where (dining table, desk, box in room etc) but keep it consistent. We didn't have space for desks in rooms so everything was kept downstairs on the dining table.

Oyster card in blazer pocket.

We have hooks on the back of his door for his rucksack and to hang his blazer on. All uniform is on the same shelf in his cupboard, including the different pe kits. I regularly undo his shoe laces to save time in the morning.

He notices none of this 😂 but does use the desk we put in his room for him. Also they go through a lot of glue sticks and whiteboard pens which wasn't a thing in my day....

Wow. I sometimes think my dd got a short straw with me, because she’s had to think all this through for herself! I do buy her the storage stuff she asks for though.

I’d say make sure they have a desk of course, with shelves and /or IKEA units for storing things in. I second a desk tiny/ box thing for the exercise books.

I’d make sure they have plenty of floor space if possible - unless they’re very tall I wouldn’t bother with a double bed or anything taking up their space. My dd needs the space for music practice but lots of teens like to sprawl on bean bags etc.

Plan the house so that they don’t have to give up their room for guests, especially during term time (eg on weekends) as they’ll want to do homework, spend time alone in their room, have access to their stuff etc. if there’s no other space, don’t have guests or give up your own room.

DS 15 uses the dining table, bed, floor. We have a desk in the box bedroom but he's never used it. PC is in the living room. He uses his iPad wherever.

Schoolbag is in his room. Toiletries in bathroom. Washbag in his room. Only child so own room.

DD has a desk and chair and her own chromebook, all in her room. She has a pencil case for school and a separate one for home, so the school one lives in her school bag - we check it at the end of each half term in case things need replenishing (always).

School books are kept in a magazine file - this actually lives downstairs along with a wipe-clean weekly planner board (£5 from wilko, timetable and any homework due gets updated each week), and her school bag. Ideally it would live in her room, but that is always a mess so this way the "getting ready for school " is a bit more controlled.

She has her hygiene products in her room, except for shower stuff which is in the family bathroom. She also keeps makeup in the bathroom but that's because I still need to install a decent mirror in her bedroom!

Her room is her space, she is asked to clear the floor and surfaces once a week so it can be cleaned, and to bring down plates/cups etc daily, but otherwise I leave it be. It pains me that it's messy, but IME letting her realise in her own time that I'm right avoids many arguments 😁

Does your Year 6 child not already wash, wear clothes and do homework? There really isn't any need to make any big changes. Plus, probably better for them to work out themselves where they want to have stuff.

Oh and agree with PP who said bag is packed the night before.

I bought a desk with drawers and storage from Argos. It was crap and didn’t last. For A Levels he got a bigger plain desk from ikea. Cheaper and much more useful as it gives space for laptop,books etc.
At yr7 I’d suggest that the computer is still somewhere that can be supervised by an adult.
Bus pass etc lived in his blazer.
I’d say that you need a good chair. Comfortable and supportive, adjustable as they grow. I buggered my back sitting on the sofa to work during lockdown, I still have to lie flat in the evenings to avoid being in pain.

We redid our Dd's room at the start of high school with a high sleeper bed that has a desk/wardrobe/storage/shelving underneath, it keeps her stuff nicely organised. This then freed up room for a small corner sofa bed for her to have a friend over and give her a chill out space, and room for a drum kit. It's not a massive bedroom, but the high sleeper has essentially given her twice the space and she aforesaid her room. Still does all her homework at the dining room table though.

*Adores not aforesaid!

Dd is in Y5 but has a desk already so I'd imagine she will just do her work at that. I have an office downstairs which has space if she would prefer to relocate as she does seem to gravitate to where people are - she isn't much a fan of solitude. So I'll give her the option to move it when she is in Y7.

She already has a laundry basket outside her room (her and dc2 rooms on a different floor to us), and she just uses family toiletries. I assume once she gets into hair and make up stuff (if she does), these will live in her room.

I currently hang all dc uniforms in my office as its easier for me to keep track of what is washed and ready during the week. I'm not sure if that will continue as I suppose once in secondary they'll need to keep track of all that themselves.

Thank you so much everyone for this feedback it is so useful and quite reassuring

Can’t believe parents are untying shoes, checking pencil cases and packing bags. Feel like a rubbish parent now. I think a lot depends on the school. My teen brings nothing home from school apart from the odd piece of paper with homework on and her reading book. No other books at all. She looks after all her own stuff like vending card, locker key. I made sure she had a sanitary pack of stuff and she has been showering and looking after hygiene for some time.

No advice as my eldest is only 8 but wanted to say you sound like a lovely mum!

Thank you, we are all just doing our best by our children

My boys have a set routine. They come in, sling their coats and school bags into whatever empty space they can find, dump their coats on the sofa, go to the loo and abandon their ties in there and sometimes their shoes. (If not then shoes go in the middle of the hall floor where they can trip up the next person to enter the house).

Then in the morning they stroll around at the pace of an elderly snail until two minute before leaving and then shout at whoever is around because they have hidden their tie/shoes/bag etc.

Works for us

Their rooms are no different now to how they were in primary school. They have their own rooms, always have. Mine are years 10 and 11. I see very little homework being done! They have a cupboard each in the “toy” room for old books which they have to keep for revision. Toiletries are in the bathroom as they’ve always been. Bags go in the cupboard under the stairs like they always have and shoes on the shoe rack 🤷🏼‍♀️ I assume they get their own bags ready as I certainly don’t.!

@ArticSaviour

My boys have a set routine. They come in, sling their coats and school bags into whatever empty space they can find, dump their coats on the sofa, go to the loo and abandon their ties in there and sometimes their shoes. (If not then shoes go in the middle of the hall floor where they can trip up the next person to enter the house).

Then in the morning they stroll around at the pace of an elderly snail until two minute before leaving and then shout at whoever is around because they have hidden their tie/shoes/bag etc.

Works for us

Lol I was taking you seriously initially regarding the routine 😂, but I really fear the stress of disorganised child while trying to get ready for work and another child off to primary school

We didn't bother with a desk in her room, dd did her homework at the dining table and her school bag and stuff lived in the corner of the room behind a chair.