This is a public service announcement for parents of 2016 Reception starters

[kippersyllabub]

1. Whatever "settling in" arrangements your school tells you they have, you, the parent are entitled to send your child to school full time from the very start of the Autumn term, or part time until they reach compulsory school age. This is up to you. It is not up to the school. If you need to quote legislation at the headteacher, it's the school admissions code (this is secondary legislation) and this has been clarified in the 2015 report of the Office of the Schools' adjudicator.
   

1. It really helps if they can take themselves to the loo, get changed for PE and put their coat on. Counting, reading and writing early don't make a huge difference compared to the above.
   

1. label everything
   

Have I forgotten anything?

[mrsb26]

Don't bother buying a £50 Next/M&S coat for your child to wear to school - it will get trashed.

Practising basic skills - getting dressed etc - as many have already noted. These are far more important than worrying about reading and writing at this stage.

[BrightandEarly]

Thanks for the book tips

[AuntieStella]

There's a Charlie and Lola book about starting school, which coins the lovely portmanteau word 'schooliform'

[ktkaye]

Not sure if this one has already been said unthread (apologies if so) but please please do not send your fussy eater for school dinners hoping that having no choice will somehow cure them! I know hot lunches are free and lunch box goodies expensive/a hassle but if you know your child has a repertoire of about four meals they reliably eat then the chances are they will struggle. I have lost count of the number of times I have spent my lunch break tried to coax a thoroughly miserable four year old to eat their rapidly cooling lunch and ending up desperately hunting around for something they might eat to tide them over until home time. School is tiring and hard for reception children, especially at the beginning so being hungry on top is a recipe for misery and tears. You'd be surprised the number of parents who insist that their child should 'keep trying' school dinners even after the teacher has explained that for several days/weeks they haven't been able to get their pupil to eat anything all day. If you can afford it, please give them packed lunches with things you know they will eat. We won't judge you if they turn up with the same ham sandwich and petit filous every day, we'll be grateful they had something to fill them up! It reduces the stress of being in a big echoey lunch hall, gives a much needed energy boost and helps concentration and coping with the afternoon session.

Oh, and I beg of you. No laces. I spend so much time every day doing up laces. A nice bit of Velcro they can manage themselves will make you a friend for life.

[GibbousHologram]

bright there's a great CBeebies programme about school. It's just literally about being at school. It was perfect for us.

Can't remember name though...

[AllPizzasGreatAndSmall]

Those of you considering insisting on your child going full time from the beginning, what do you think the teacher is going to do with your child in the afternoon when all the others have gone home?

[Blueberry234]

All pizzas- we were given a choice out of 30 children only 5 did half days to begin with the rest went full time as they had all been doing full days at pre school

[OhtoblazeswithElvira]

Thank you isittheholidaysyet !
Tippex pens for labelling shoes
Genius!

[Pixiemumma]

I'm terrified, my DD starts reception in September, she can write her name and do all that stuff, but for the life of me can I get her to get changed by herself? She just stands there saying "I can't do it" "It is too hard"

[ReadyPlayerOne]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but if you intend to hand down school jumpers etc to a subsequent child, just write the surname on the label with a sharpie. If you have a more common surname, write the child's initial with it, with an intention to black that part out and put the next wearers initial after the surname later.
"A Jones" would become "Jones B"

I have three children, one at school, another starting this year and a baby, so I've no idea how to make the above work a third time!

[littlemonkey5]

Be assertive with the school if all they do to pass messages is shove a letter in their bag. We missed a few important messages as the slips of paper went missing. We went in and sternly told them we weren't happy and the school put up whiteboards outside the classrooms with the week-ahead messages so everyone at pick-up and drop-off knew what was happening. The teachers did this on the Friday for the following week so parents had at least the weekend to prepare for Monday or Tuesday.

DS2's nursery does it on a chalkboard, so there's no excuse for the school not to do it.

also, for Reception children, take a bag-for-life in on the Monday with a spare pair of underwear and trousers/top with wipes, just in case and leave it on their peg. Leave it there for the week unless there is an accident of course, then replace. If there are no accidents, your child will forget it is even there, but if there is an accident, the whole episode will be much easier for them if there is a change of clothes that fit, ready for them.

[DailyMailShite]

I think the most important thing for kids starting reception is that they have a good nights sleep. Late nights and tired kids are a recipe for disaster.


My bothers kids were always exhausted at this age and he used to complain about how they were naughty and wouldn't concerntrate.

[PerspicaciaTick]

Pixiemumma - please don't be terrified, I'm sure that when she is surrounded by classmates attempting to change themselves (with varying degrees of success) she'll give it a try herself. You might have to cope with inside out tops and back to front trousers (and other people's clothes) for a while but she will get the hang of it all soon enough.
My DC's both surprised me with how quickly they became more independent at school. They seemed to enjoy the challenge and feel very proud of themselves. But it does go some way to explaining how tired they were at the end of each day.

[SoupDragon]

I've no idea how to make the above work a third time!

The joy of an unusual surname - A Dragon, Dragon B and Dragon :)

[domesticslattern]

They will be shattered by October half term so don't plan a big exciting holiday if you can help it.
Also this tiredness will not manifest in meekly going to bed and sleeping. No, it will manifest in wild wild behaviour.

[InternationalHouseofToast]

If you have the chance to buy polo shirts rather than blouses / cotton shirts, do so as you don't have to faff with buttons after PE. Likewise, if your school gives you the coice of polo shirts in colours other than white (in DS' school you can have white, back or red) don't buy white. Black are brilliant if you can get them but not many shops stock them (think M&S do) but any other colour is more forgiving of paint / pen / pudding than white.

[Pixiemumma]

PerspicaciaTick - Thank you for the reassurance. I am hoping this is the case. She is stubborn child (No idea where she gets that from )

Oh and she wears glasses, literally blind as a bat, do they make children take their glasses off for PE? I think they used to back when I went to school...

[PerspicaciaTick]

I'm pretty sure that I've seen children at my DC's doing PE in glasses (I used to do reading with them so popped in and out of PE lessons when they were on). But maybe ask the school? If you are having a home visit it might be worth adding to your list of questions to ask the teacher when they visit.

[Pixiemumma]

PerspicaciaTick Oh yes good idea, I forgot about the home visits!

[KeithLeMonde]

After a couple of weeks of tantrums in the playground or on the way home after school, I started bringing in a healthy snack and forcefeeding my Reception-aged child as we walked out of the playground. That little top-up of energy seemed to prevent the worst of the after-school meltdowns.

Junk mail envelopes (the ones that come in your credit card or energy bill) are useful to stash for returning slips and money to school.

Don't ever put a letter from school away until you have dealt with it, even if it's just putting a note on the calendar. Otherwise I can guarantee you will be the only parent in the playground who has forgotten mufti day and your child will never speak to you again.

My kids always wore their glasses for PE at primary school.

[OrianaBanana]

Gibbous it was called 'Time for School'. It had a very catchy (and annoying) theme tune...

[blowmybarnacles]

I was promised a tired child who would be ready for bed but no, not here. Still wired at 9pm even after the first full week.

[BoboBunnyH0p]

Wellies, our school have welly trolley so my DS keeps an old pair of Wellies at school, reception children play out in all weathers so having a pair in school saves school shoes and feet from getting soggy.

If you have any clothes your DC has out grown especially socks please donate to the school. They will be very grateful.

Totally agree label everything.

Just buy a jacket for school from asda/tesco/primark less chance it will go missing (stolen) and you won't be too upset if it gets trashed.

If your DC tells you something happened in school eg x pushed me or x hurt me if your worried speak to the teacher to get the full picture. DO NOT find out who x's parent is and approach them accusing their child of bullying your DC.