What to buy for starting school

[WishIwas19again]

My DD starts in reception in September but the open day isn't until July. I want to start preparing what I need to buy bit by bit to spread the expense and help prepare my Dd, and would love to hear your wise experience.

I know I'll need uniform, but what else? Do we need packed lunch box, water bottle, school bag (presumably we have to buy those little reading book bags from the school directly?).

Is there anything useful to buy for home that will help with home work, like counting etc.?

Going to state primary school in England. Thanks

No you will get free hot dinners . Some schools require water bottles some don’t. I would start buying bits of uniform if you want to spear the cost . Leave shoes till summer holidays

Wait and school will tell you what you specifically need.

I would try and put the money aside, and wait for July.

YY- put money away now and wait until school tells you what you need.

Practical things are much more important just now.

Toileting- can she reasonably judge when she needs to go, go into a cubicle by herself, wipe, flush and wash hands?

Jackets/coats- put on, do up buttons, fling off at playtime and retrieve as necessary? Ditto cardis/ shoes/ wellies.

Opening packets or tubs independently is good for snack time.

You do not need to buy workbooks or any 'homework' style things. Put on Alphablocks and Numberjacks and read stories every single day. Count things you see around you- look at bus numbers and door numbers etc etc.

Really work on listening, not interrupting and following instructions.

And it'll all be fine.

I agree that you should put the money aside and wait.

Some schools provide water bottles, some have water fountains, some you need a bottle from home.

You will probably need a PE bag and if you do, getting a non-school one is a good idea as it's easy to recognise. A drawstring bag with their name on in giant letters is what I like. But you might not even need that as in some schools they come to school ready in their kits.

Order a load of name labels in advance - both iron/sew in ones (depending on your preference) and some form of sticky ones for things like water bottles.

Some schools have restrictions on water bottles that must be transparent to check for illicit juice - some really don't care. Lunch box - do you have a picky eater who you're planning on sending packed lunches in for or are you just going to use the free infant school meals? (Mine have both had those until the end of KS1 - quite happily but my kids are culinary dustbins)

If you can find any cheaply reduced though - stockpile gloves and hats like your life depends on it - the amount of gloves my kids lose each year is bonkers and I end up just buying the end of season ones reduced to like 50p each year to refill supplies!

Shouldn't need pencil cases or anything like that - probably worth having something at home in terms of pencils, scissors, glue sticks for when homework comes home - and we had several homeworks where getting small objects out to count was required - we just used playmobil people (we have bloody thousands) and my button jar... think that's all we've ever needed in terms of homework equipment.

Bags - some schools don't allow kids to use anything other than their own school book bags as they don't have the space to store them - some schools lots use backpacks - it's very variable so like most of this it's wait and see really.

I tend to start squirrelling uniform away from about this point in time but that's because I've got two to buy for and they've both just come out of a growth spurt so I've got a fair idea of what sizes they need... and I bloody hate sewing in name labels so tend to take my time over it. I'm hyper-organised though. If you're wanting to get ahead I'd start picking up the base bits of uniform - like the right colour socks and tights and uniform pinafores and trousers and the like (pinafores hide yoghurt stains more than skirts).

It might be that the school has last year's new parents handbook still on the website - if so that'll give you a lot of guidance (they might have this year's on if they're really organised - I know our head was re-doing that last week at our school)... or ask on local FB groups if you're desperate to get ahead - ours has quite a lot of "are they allowed X or Y at the school" queries crop up over the next couple of months.

I agree to wait for the school to tell you. Apart from uniform and PE kit I think I only had to buy a buy the school book bag. They gave them all a water bottle and she has school dinners.

Wow thanks for so many replies so quickly!

So helpful, I was just wanting to make a start getting bits, but it sounds as if the best advice is to save and see what we're told as it looks quite variable.

Good thought about the name labels, I will order some online and as I buy bits will sew them on as and when to save time. And yes to buying tights etc, something I can pick up when I'm in Asda. And I'm quite nostalgic for buying a drawstring PE bag!

We are planning on getting the free school meals, but I wondered if they needed their own packed lunch box for trips (not sure whether they do many in reception though?)

Thanks for all the restraining comments! I'm just over excited as it's our first child to go to school!

We didn't think we'd get into this first choice school so we didn't ask many questions on the show round so as not to get over invested, now I wish I had

I wouldn't buy uniform untill end of July at tne earliest. Kids have a tendency to have growth spurts when you least expect and tne new term starts in 4-5 mon the. Kids can grow alot in that time.

Get the iron on labels, nobody sews them in! www.mynametags.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtr_mBRDeARIsALfBZA5MdMx_gqDfJmMhFoUBTbgtBQYp4zNJvaDuJwDM-ydyOG5wh8wAiMEaAk7bEALw_wcB

Get a multipack of labels you iron on clothes, and stickers for water bottles, shoes etc. Include your phone number on the sticker

I bought a stamp tastic.. its a print pad and name label.. On top time saving things I have ever bought .

If you want to save money join the school facebook group or local mum's groups and start looking out for second hand uniform. Apart from some means of labelling clothes you'll need basically nothing else!

Tories are ending free dinners

Mum of three here :-

Four polos
Two school jumpers
Two trousers/skirts/pinafores
Book bag
Backpack
Socks shoes underwear
Water bottle and Lunch bag
Pe plimsolls
Gym bag
Tshirt
Warm coat
Name labels in bulk

Aldi has uniform cheap. M and s reduce theirs in June.

With Aldi most of it for about ten to 20 gbp.
Jumper £2.25
Polo 2pk £1.75
Trousers, or skirt 2.25
Socks 2 pk pinafore 5.99

Socks 1.75 for five

Average cost in Uk is £160 for primary school costs to kit then out

You really need to wait until the parents' evening as every school will vary.
For example, for DC's school, although others have mentioned these items:
There were no lunch boxes on trips (so the whole lot can go in the bin when finished, not very environmentally friendly).
There was no PE until quite a way through reception.
Didn't need plimsolls.
Nowhere to put a bag other than bookbag and draw string PE bag

Schools sometimes have 2nd hand uniform sales at the parents' evening (or they can tell you when the next one is).

Average cost in Uk is £160 for primary school costs to kit then out

Really? Are people buying gold plated uniform? or does that include (generally more expensive) independent schools as well).

I sewed in my dd's name labels! Dont trust anything else to stay on.

I bought 2 school jumpers but should have gone for three. Also bought three of the official school t shirts (2x short sleeve 1xlong) which I won't do next year, everyone wears plain supermarket ones.

Check out their shoe policy. Dd's school is great - they need outdoor shoes and indoor pumps. BUT the outdoor shoes dont have to be 'school shoes' so dd just wears her trainers everyday, which are much more comfortable and practical for playing in, and I don't have to shell out on an extra pair of shoes. Lots of other reception parents didn't realise this at the start of the year.

Some schools have a second hand uniform sale at the summer fete/fayre. Its a good time to pick up spare uniform. Check the list to see what is necessary and what isn't e.g. DS's school offers a logo baseball cap and scarf but neither of those are essential and they cost quite a bit more than a normal scarf/hat in school colours. They offer school logo jumpers/cardigans for £13 but if you read the uniform policy you can buy any plain knitted jumper in the school colours.

It is worth going to the summer fete anyway as its a good chance to get a feel for the school environment, maybe meet some teachers and other parents and let your child get familiar with the school's layout.

For Foundation I always had enough of the cheapest uniform I could find for a clean set everyday. Some children have toilet accidents (lots of new and exciting things to be distracted by etc), then there is paint, sand, clay, plasticine, glue, their hot lunch etc. I buy a size up as well, so I can get two years worth of use out of it and it helps if they have a growth spurt mid year .

But the most important bit is things like being able to change for PE without help, able to put their own shoes on, take themselves to the toilet independently etc.

£160?! More like £60. Plus shoes.

Mine get 'free' packed lunches on trips so didnt need a lunch box.