More child starting reception type questions (sorry)

[Xihha]

DD starts school in September and I think I'm more nervous than she is (DS starting school was different as he was more independent and I knew the school really well).

Anyway 1) DD's school insists on either Clarks or Startrite shoes, is there much difference in quality? (I've always gone to cheap shoe shops, even when i was little so have no idea)

2. DD needs a pencil case, have I got to name everything inside it and if so how the hell do you label pencils? or can i just label the pencil case and accept she may lose a few pencils?

3. We've been practicing opening lunch boxes, sitting nicely to eat, putting her own shoes on, getting changed by herself and managing tights so she can go to the loo by herself, is there anything else she needs to practice?

4. when I was at school all girls wore vests under their uniforms on days we had PE, I don't think it was ever a rule but very much expected, is this still the case?

5. why do I still feel like I've forgotten something?

Shoes do last till they outgrow them, that is true but I'll add a however.

Proper leather shoes do seem to expand on their feet so last longer. That's how you get a whole year from a pair of properly fitted, quality shoes unless your child has a big spurt.

Up until recently - now 13 and 12, my boys grew about one whole shoe size per year. i.e. they started P1 in a 1 and ended up at a 6 and a half going into P7. A couple of years ago, just before we were going on holiday, I bought a couple of pairs of leather type shoe/trainers in a Clarks sale - they had leather insoles as well. 2 and a half years later, they still said they fitted despite the fact they had grown two sizes since then. I checked them myself and they seemed to still have room. When in town one day, I got the fitter to check them and she couldn't believe what size they were. Anyway, they definitely fitted nicely at the start and they still fitted. The leather had just expanded enough to make them still comfy. They are binned now as in the last few months they have gone up 2 sizes!!

I wouldn't bother labelling socks as they don't seem to take them off - ours do PE in their all-day socks, for example - and it's a PITA to do.

Put something around their reading folder handle so they can stop it immediately; a key ring, a ribbon, a sticker.

I put a spare pair of knickers/socks/tights in her bag as quite a few new reception kids have accidents in their first weeks. Not sure why but teachers say it's common. Mine had accidents for a month of starting.

Even if your child has been with a child minder or in a nursery full time, they will be exhausted for the first term or so. Everything is new and they're learning different things. Don't book any after school activities and let them have some down time after school.

My DD went through 6 pairs of shoes in the reception year. Ok, this is probably more a boy thing. All the toes were scuffed down to the body of the shoe. In the end I bought patent leather shoes which are more hardwearing (who knew?) ASDA shoes are good too and are reasonable price (sadly didn't last for her though).

Also worth checking that your reception child will be doing PE. I bought all the PE kit last year and the teacher said they didn't bother doing it until Year 1 as they usually spent most of the lesson either getting undressed or getting dressed! Most can't do their own socks or buttons so it was a waste of time.

Xihha, I am a primary school teacher and there is no way that this would happen where i teach. Infact, children often come in without their uniform. Sometimes its queried but there is no way that it would be ever acceptable to send a child home. I think that is awful...its most often not the childs fault. Personally speaking dont get me wrong, im in full agreement of school uniform but not for punishing a child over it or at the expense of their education. We do have a different education system here and i know that school uniform is not compulsory in scotland but it may be policy but not to the extent that a child would be sent home or suffer in anyway.

Xihha - it might be worth checking the uniform list for wording re the shoes. Unless they say "Shoes MUST be Startrite or Clarks" then I would suggest that it is the school trying to set a minimum standard for shoe quality a low one if the comments about Clarks here are all accurate
If funds will run to it, I would recommend Ecco too. They seem to be immensely hardwearing and watertight. A good shoe fitter will give you most of a years growing room and by then they'll be into lighter summer type shoes anyway.

I've got a child starting in a few weeks too and this list has been immensely helpful - thanks tons to SoWorried

The only thing I would add to the list is a pair of wellies/boots and liner socks for when it's cold for the walk to school. Will save the school shoes and your child from spending the day in wet feet. We've got a particularly weather exposed walk to school so I've bought the non compulsory £5 school rain cagoule which is far too thin to use as a winter coat but totally waterproof so it can be zipped over the top of a down type coat for the torrential mornings. It comes down below her knees at the moment so it should avoid the need for waterproof leggings

We started with the basics. A school uniform can be picked up anywhere from Tesco to Harrods, depending on how much money you want to spend. There may be a school top with the school's name on it which you may be able to get 2nd hand, directly from the school or from a school outfitters. The same with the school bag. In my experience, most of the schools the dcs have been to, don't worry much about shoes, as long as they are suitable and comfy. You will need a PE kit and plymsols or trainers, and maybe a tracksuit bums. A lunchbox with a name, a nit comb, and they're off!

It is important to have properly fitted shoes. You only have one pair of feet and all things well, they have to last a lifetime. Some shoes can cause huge problems later on.

So glad that there's no uniform at DD's school. At first I thought it would be a pain, but as she turned 4 last week and is 2nd centile, there is no chance in hell we'd ever find prescribed uniform items to fit, let alone school shoes - do they make them in a size 6 junior?!

Thanks for all the tips. I have just realised how much I don't know, despite having attended the incoming YR meeting and despite having been a governor at the school since before even getting pregnant with DD. Will now compile a list of Qs to ask friends with older DCs. Pencil case? Hadn't even thought about that!

Btw I third Ecco quality. Both DC have them and they have always been outgrown rather than worn out, even at the very slow rate my DD grows.

can anyone recommend name lable thingys for clothes?

or indeed just tell me what they're called so i can google them

You can't beat Cash's name tapes in my opinion - I use them on clothes that will be passed down. Obviously they take more time to sew in rather than iron on but they look nice and mean the clothes can be used for my younger dd. Stuck On You does some good iron on labels and also sticky labels and shoe labels - they don't come off. At the moment they also have free delivery. hth

Our school uses Ooh La Label. But as they only arrived in the post yesterday, can't tell you if they're any good or not! But on the plus side you can put a picture on them as well which I suppose would be useful if your child can't recognise their name.

And Wingdingdong we're having having exactly that problem. DS is 3 and is starting Kindergarten and is a midget but still needs a uniform - we had most of the school shop in hysterics at the weekend as he tried on the smallest size in everything and it just swamped him. Not sure what we'll do to be honest as it's a private school so everything is very much regulation uniform with crests etc. so no option to get anything elsewhere - his blazer comes down to his knees. On the plus side, I won't have to buy any more uniform for quite some time....!

This thread seems to be mostly about the shoes! One teacher alwaysontop gave the best piece of advice and I'm not sure if anyone took it on, but in case you haven't it's this: You may well be anxious about your child starting school for the first time, but you must not allow that anxiety to be passed on to the child, so a bit of play acting might be useful. Also don't believe your child when she/he says "I have no one to play with" because most of them say that in the first few weeks!

My grand-daughter is at a private school and the uniform list is endless (and they have decided to change the school colours, so new jumpers, shirts, fleeces, blazers and sports clothes will have to be bought) They do say that they don't expect parents to buy the new uniforms until the old ones are too small, but I can imagine that everyone will have the new uniform colours. There are some very wealthy families and my son and DIL are both primary school teachers and are making a big sacrifice for their only child to get this education. Yes I know teachers in the state system should have faith in the system. My DGR went to state primary but my DIL took an absolute dislike of the local comp, which seemed fine to me, but of course it wasn't up to me.

There was a school trip to France earlier in the year (for 5 days) and the letter read "please note this is not a holiday. It is part of the French curriculum and all girls are expected to attend. Price £585.00!!! Guess who paid that! I hate the notion of private education but my DGD is thriving and loves the school and is having all sorts of opportunities she wouldn't have had at the state school. It's just that all kids should have the same opportunities.

Oscar the wording on the school rules is 'black school shoes as exclusively supplied by (shop name), please tell the assistant you are from (school name) and they will be happy to advise you on permitted shoes alternatively see the list under (school name) on the shops website.'

Wingdingdong, When DS started school they didn't need pencil cases and all of my friends with school age kids have been surprised that she needs one, so unless its mentioned in the list the school gave you then you probably don't need to worry about it.

slev, Are the uniform shop not able to get anything tiny in specially? I know the uniform shop we have to use only keep the popular sizes in but can get smaller stuff if needs be... although with the price of our blazers I'm quite temped to get DD one that's huge so i don't have to do this again next year!

NanaNina, It does seem to be mostly about the shoes doesn't it? DDs very excited and I've been very careful not to let her see I'm anxious.

The uniform list is endless for her too, and her school changed their uniform last year so there's nothing in the second hand shop.

Xihha these were the tiny sizes! Unfortunately he's just really little - even though he's 3 he's gone to nursery today in size 12-18m shorts! Usually he wears age 2-3 clothes so everything just came up really big. Except the hats - he must have an abnormally large head. I'm making him sound like a freak - he's really very cute.

And on the subject of shoes, we have one style that we can choose from (well, there are more, but only one that comes in a size 6). To say the uniform list is prescriptive would be putting it mildly... I dread to think how much those cost - that's next weekend's job!

I'm a teacher and my DS is starting school in Sept. Great tips so far, thanks! My tip would be labelling everything, but many people have already said that! The 'mystery' items that always knock around the classroom for ages tend to be vests, odd gloves and odd trainers. So make sure you label those!

I was just planning on using a sharpie to label- do I need to buy proper labels?

Also agree with the poster who said to bear in mind that it takes a few weeks for the teacher to get to know each child, not jumping down their throat about too easy book etc.

This thread is great. DS is starting receltion 4 weeks today! I do know about name tapes though, as nursery has always insisted on properly label chkclothes. I have always used woven name tapes, as they look smart and don' t fade. I have tried a few cheaper o.ed, but Cash' s are the best by far. They don' t fray or stretch when you sew them, are strong enough to unpick and reuse.

Got about halfway through the thread and thought I should drop by and say that most private schools will have a second hand uniform shop so that if she is outgrowing her uniform/blazer too fast you might want to have a look at that as well? It might feel a bit odd asking, but if you can sell her old one there and get a new one for half the price, you are winning :)

Oh and for anything hard to sew name labels onto, these are great and last 30 washes (thinking aprons or shoes for example) www.amazon.co.uk/Personalised-Stickers-STIKINS%C2%AE-Childrens-Labelling/dp/B008JZR9K2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375816240&sr=8-1&keywords=sticky+name+labels

Dc3 is starting in September too and I can't believe how much I've forgotten in the five years since dd started so this thread has been great.

I remembered I have to teach ds2 to tie his tie but I've completely forgotten about buttons. He can do them but it takes ages!

DS1 can cope with buttons he can see, but really struggles with undoing his very top button except in the mirror. It has taken ages to persuade him that he doesn't have to have his top polo shirt button done up!!

Ooh I didn't think about the ones he can't see either. I may just teach him that if he ties his tie well enough then no one will notice.

I wonder if the shoe thing is to stop kids turning up in lelli kellies or ballerina style.

Dd started school in asda shoes as they were the only ones that fitted her very small wide foot with incredibly high instep. Clarks were not deep enough and star trite (which she always had subsequently) didn't start small enough in black.

The senior school she is going to has sent a list of acceptable shoes with pictures but they can be any brand as long as they are well fitting (Vocational dance school so foot care important) and in one of the approved styles.

For name labels I use these. I put them on everything; drinks bottle, bags, clothing, coats, hats, scarves, lunchbox, reading folder, shoes etc.

No sewing or ironing, simply stick them in. They last through washing and tumble drying and the dish washer.

I don't think Clarks are as good as Startrite, tbh. I say that because when you get those first, really soft baby walking shoes, they're so flexible you can more or less turn them inside out, and really examine the manufacture. Startrite was a lot more detailed and supportive. Clarks wasn't as carefully made. That's been backed up by a friend who works at Russell and Bromley and says the support of a Startrite shoe is really, really good. She wouldn't put her own kids in Geox or Kickers or anything now, which are more expensive, because they're not as good for small feet.

Having said that, another friend is an American, and a doctor, and she says people there don't bother with custom fitted shoes. She asked a paediatrician when I was worrying about whether I should always splash out on Startrite, and she looked blank and said, "I get my baby's shoes from Walmart. Why not?" So I do rather wonder if it isn't a giant con, tbh! If it were Proper Science that Kids Need Amazing Shoes, then surely it would be internationally known about?

I still buy Startrite. Because I am gullible where my kids' welfare is concerned.