Starting school like a pro - come and share your tips

[AndHarry]

PFB is starting school in September and I'm trying to remember all the great tips I've picked up on MN over the years and from the MN guide. Come and add to my list so I look like I know what I'm doing...

• Label everything! Get EasyFix clip-on labels so you don't have to spend ages ironing in labels that will fall out or sewing.

• Label everything expensive-ish like coats and jumpers twice: once somewhere obvious and once somewhere more hidden so that if a child (or parent ) takes a fancy to that item you'll be able to prove that it belongs to your child.

• Talk to a parent with a child already at the school to find out what you actually need to buy on the school uniform list and what is on the list but never actually worn (leotards, tracksuits etc.)

• Get your child to practice using cutlery, undressing and dressing, and wiping their own bottom properly over the summer.

• Add a distinctive keyring to book and PE kit bags so your child can spot it easily amongst all the other identical bags.

• Buy a good water bottle with a sports cap that they can refill in school (any recommendations...?)

Double and triple check the date of the first day of school for reception. Nothing worse than turning up with pfb dd in tow, all excited with shiny new lunch box and book bag, joining the queue for her class. And being turned away at the door as we were a day early for reception to start.

All I could say was it'd be the first and last time we'd be early

Dd is coming towards to end of year one. Ds1 is starting in September and I've still not lived it down.

I'm guessing that most of us shouldn't run out to get packed lunch boxes as school dinners are going to be free (yay)!

Consider leggings instead of tights for girls. DD (now in year 1) doesn't like tights but will happily wear leggings (in school colours) on colder days and has done since reception. Her best friend does too. I don't understand why more don't, they're much easier to take off and put on again and I frequently see girls with tights with the gussets round their knees!
DD also used to take a little toy to help her settle but a small cuddly one on a keyring attached to her cardigan so she couldn't lose it.

Write their first name in the left shoe and surname in the right shoe so they are labelled and they can make their name to get their shoes on the correct feet.
Take food to pick up, even if you only live 5 mins walk away, and ask no questions until it has been eaten :-). My ds is known for being a chatterbox but he was like a teenager for about a term after he started school.

Write their first name in the left shoe and surname in the right shoe so they are labelled and they can make their name to get their shoes on the correct feet.
Take food to pick up, even if you only live 5 mins walk away, and ask no questions until it has been eaten :-). My ds is known for being a chatterbox but he was like a teenager for about a term after he started school.

That's a good idea. DS is forever putting his shoes on the wrong feet.

Back to the thread...

I've labelled a complete set of school uniform!

Talk to me about shoes. Should I wait to get them until towards the end of the holidays in case his feet grow or do I get some now before his size sells out?

And how do you label socks?!

I read this useful tip for shoes in an American blog:
Draw half of a smiley face in the left shoe and the other half in the right (or a butterfly, football etc), so that when they are held together they match like a puzzle. This is a quick and easy way to help your child know which foot each shoe goes onto.

And this will be nice, especially if they are upset later about something being difficult. You can demonstrate how much they've learned what they couldn't do before:
Keep some of the best drawings and photos of the projects and shows your child completes, in a “My First Year of School” scrapbook, which both you and your child could scribe in together. They can add more of their own writing and drawing as their ability develops, which in itself will be a fantastic record of achievement! Be sure to add the photo of them on their first day and finish off with another on their last day. They will have grown so much and it will be a wonderful memory keepsake to treasure of this very special time in their life!

If you have a DD with long hair, get her (and you) in the habit of plaiting it back - it's the best way to avoid nits, especially with a whoosh of hair spray on top.

:) More good tips.

Another question from me: Both DH and I work long hours and will rarely be there for drop-offs and pick-ups. I'm worried that that will affect how often DS gets opportunities to play at other kids' houses and do other stuff outside school. Would it be barmy and counterproductive to organize a sort of getting-to-know you party at the beginning of the school year?

If you are around for the settling in weeks then maybe a few play dates some of the half days (early afternoon or straight from school for those with siblings. Party might be a bit too keen unless a birthday but do clear all your weekends for the next year for parties. Parents usually stay around here in first half of reception.

Put a pen in the book bag so that you can check and return forms that day at pick up. Also useful for completing reading record.

Useful thread! I'm going to cry like a baby on the first day - not in front of ds though!

Have spent a fortune on school uniform - I now have insight into why stealing goes on, and I never thought I'd understand that! it truly is shocking.

Nearly everything has to be logo uniform vs supermarket bargains, even things like trousers, and I've spent £90 already and I haven't got anywhere near a complete set, let alone shoes etc.

What do I need multiples of really? Considering I have not got a tumble dryer...

So far I have:

• 1x short sleeved shirt (what used to be called an aertex shirt in the olden days!)
• 1x sweatshirt 4-5 yrs plus 1x 5-6 yrs, both are massive!
• 2 pairs trousers (1 of each size like the sweatshirts)
• 1 x fleece
• 1 x school coat
• 1 x hat
• 1 x book bag
• 1 x PE bag

Still got socks and shoes to buy

Plus PE kit
1x tshirt
Still need to get shorts, track suit bottoms, trainers or plimsolls, sports socks

Waaah! So much stuff!

Everything logo'ed is a bit crazy! Are you sure? School uniform is supposed to be accessible.

I've probably gone a bit overboard on the uniform but here's what I've got:

• 6 plain polo shirts
• 2 polo shirts with the logo for photos, assemblies and trips
• 3 x trousers
• 2 x shorts in bigger size for next summer
• 2 x jumpers
• 1 x fleece
• 1 x coat
• book bag

PE:

• 2 x t-shirt
• 1 x shorts
• PE bag

Don't expect T shirts to last more than 1 day without a wash. My DD often goes through 2 in one day (e.g water play, covered in paint). On the days she keeps cardi on, that needs a wash too. On jumper days it's just the jumper that gets trashed. So buy 5-7 tshirts and 2-3 top layers

Massive thank you to the OP and all that have posted. This has genuinely really helped!

I am going to take advantage of the fact that there is a collection of mums here who have been through it all before to ask a question. My son is August born, and very young. I am so anxious about him starting. He has no idea thankfully! But I am thinking of delaying his start until January. Nursery think it would be a good idea too, to ensure he has another round of speech therapy (only pronunciation rather than understanding). The school have said he will be fine and that he can go part time.

If he starts in January, what will he miss out on? Are friendships established by then? As for school 'work', nursery have said that they would give him a couple of one on one sessions every week to get him up to speed.

Thanks so much

As a teacher, can I add:

1. Send your children in shoes they can put on and off themselves. If they can't tie laces, then send them in ones with Velcro straps.

2. Don't buy your children special branded/character items if you will be upset that they go missing. Buzz Lightyear penciles are great fun, but they will go walkabout. Save them for home and send basic/home/cheapie brand items that you and your child won't get upset about if they go missing.

3. Try and convince your daughters to wear trackpants instead of tights. Much easier than trying to get fitted tights on to a still slightly damp child after swimming. Warmer too.

4. If your child may have a toileting accident, keep some spare pants in their bag. Take them shopping and have them select a pencil case, and use that to put in their bag (labelled!). That way, there's not the embarrassment of a spare pair of undies falling out of their bag, and them choosing the case it is in means they know what they are looking for when it is needed. Putting it in a pencil case means they don't have to worry if they need to get it out and go to the bathroom with it as it just looks like a pencil case. Include a plastic bag or nappy sack in the case for them to put their dirty items in. If they may soil themselves, include a travel pack of baby wipes. Not all children will want to ask the teacher for help, so make it easy for them to do themselves if needed.

5. Get girls (or boys with long hair) used to pulling their hair back in a ponytail. Use something like a scrunchie that is easy for them to use. Hair comes out during the day (intentionally or unintentionally!) and it's easier if they can pull it back out of the way themselves. It doesn't need to be neat, just off their face.

6. Don't show up early for pickup, especially in the early days. As soon as they see your face peeking through the window, they want to go to you and the last ten minutes of the day when teachers are setting routines of clean up, etc go right out the window. Wait until the bell and the teacher has excused the students before making yourself seen.

My tip is to buy loads of cheap polos and trousers etc (supermarket ones) - it saves loads of hassle if you always have spares that you can use - especially when you forget to put the washer on. I do one big uniform wash now on a Fri or Sat, but have spare for Monday if I am late and its not dry etc And yes everything named in several places, very obviously.

Wow, that's an awful lot of tips for me to buy!!!

It makes sense though as ds rarely wears the same set of clothes two days running as they always get dirty. I don't know how my mother did it, with two shirts, one cardi and one skirt!

So off to buy loads more tops - maybe to bring the total up to:
5x short sleeved tops
3x jumpers
3x trousers

And hope he can manage on that as I just can't afford any more... And yes, everything is branded and no option to choose to buy unbranded. Not exactly what I'd call affordable or inclusive.

I suppose I could refuse, but I don't want ds to be different and stand out, as would make settling in even more difficult.

Are you sure it all has to be with logo / I thought that was no allowed. Luckily no one cares at our school

Miscellaneous Might be worth holding off until you check if there is a second hand shop. Our school sells secondhand logo polo shirts, jumpers, etc. for a pound about once a month. Or befriend someone with dc a size or two bigger in the year above.

Oh god, the stress of sending DC1 to school. I never realised I had almost 5 blissfully ignorant years!

Uniform is a minefield - how many to get? where from?
Which labels are the best ones?
What other equipment do we need to get?

The information that came from the school is woefully lacking and whilst we are going for an open evening on Weds, it will be 45 mins long apparently, which seems awfully short for 60 parents!

I'm starting to panic!