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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Original poster

Wondered if hand holding for Sept newbies would be nice?

990 replies

treedelivery · 19/06/2009 16:50

Just that really. Like an antenatal thread but for parents of children starting primary in Sept.

We have our taster afternoon in a couple of weeks - it all feels so alien. Haven't felt this out of it since I bought my 1st pack of nappies and got the giggles at the checkout!

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LadyIsabella · 25/06/2009 10:15

I'm getting a bit panicky now, it seems everyone on this thread knows so much about their school, we still haven't had our first meeting (next Wed). So i still don't know what day DS will start on, how they structure the settling in etc. His nursery want to know his leaving date, and I can't tell them!

simpson · 25/06/2009 10:25

ladyisabella - i still haven't had meeting with Ds's school and don't know start date or anything.

School is having a meeting for all reception parents but I am away on hols from 11th-18th July so will probably miss it.

However DS does go to the nursery attached to the school so at least I know my way round building

LadyIsabella · 25/06/2009 11:18

Hi Simpson - glad I'm not the only one then! My only knowledge of DS's new school is from the tour we had when choosing schools, which seems like ages ago (last Sept!). Also the lovely head teacher who showed us round has since announced her retirement, a new head starts in Sept. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing?

PinkTulips · 25/06/2009 11:25

golgi... my elder two will be in the same class every second year or so. same situation as you; 18 month gap and tiny village school.

don't think it'll bother them though, ds1 has gone with dd to her last week of playschool this week and they're loving it

our school is catholic (natch what with living in holy catholic ireland) and they have the whole shebang... statues of jesus and mary in the classroom, trips to church and graveyard, visiting priests.....

really must get ds1 christened before next year

Original poster
treedelivery · 25/06/2009 12:18

Pink JUst emailed our priest to try organise a christening. emailed. Felt very odd.

LadyI - I know nothing eiter - open afternoon next week though.

Some blouses came form M£S today, 100% cotton as am worried about pfb skin. I can't manage the buttons so doubt she will. WHY do they do this? WHY not have dummy buttons and press studs. Might just get my mum to replace them tbh.

4yo skirt, fell straight down. Also feels stiff as a board. Big change form slouchy pants and t shirt

OP posts:
teafortwo · 25/06/2009 12:24

[excited emotion]

I bought Milk's name labels today!

I wanted to post here because I know you will all 'get' how brilliant this is!!!!

Original poster
treedelivery · 25/06/2009 12:33

I get it!!
Exciting!

Can't wait for ours to arrive too. I really need a life

OP posts:
PinkTulips · 25/06/2009 12:39

dear god... name labels.... do we really have to do that [eek] they do iron on right?

treedelivery... am going to have ds1&2 done at the same time, only problem is lack of godparents for ds2... any volunteers?

going to have stop typing now, in danger of removing fake nails i had done for my cousins wedding on sat!

simpson · 25/06/2009 13:25

Ok...

where do I get name tag labels from??

norksinmywaistband · 25/06/2009 14:32

Just got our start date
Full days from 9th September - omg
I don't think i'm ready

blametheparents · 25/06/2009 17:31

Iron labels fall off after one wash, ime.

By Year 1 you will be writing their names on the labels in black biro. This method works as well as any other, imo though I guess it does not look as nice.

pigswithfludontfly · 25/06/2009 17:51

Do teachers know to look for the biro on tags though? I presume they do?

golgi · 25/06/2009 18:54

Acinonyx - I'm with you on the religious thing - our village school is CofE too, and I'm not. The school in the next village is also CofE. The nearest "not CofE" school is a car journey away in town, but I think they all do the religious stuff anyway.
I teach in a CofE school, too. No escaping it, really. But I'm old enough to just let it wash over me.

golgi · 25/06/2009 18:55

Here's a silly question - do they need a pencil case with pens and pencils and colours etc. in reception? Or does the school have everything?

teafortwo · 25/06/2009 19:12

www.jjcash.co.uk/shop/nametapes/woven-clothing-labels/woven-clothing-labels_designertapes.htm

..... aaaaaaaaaawwwwww!!! They are so lovely!!!

Can't wait for them to arrive!

I had some very good advice on where to go to buy them.

pigswithfludontfly · 25/06/2009 19:14

Yep I'm another one who feels uncomfortable about the religious side of things. When we did a settling in visit the kids did a prayer at the end of the day and the teacher made a fuss of showing ds how to put his hands together (I bet she has our cards marked as non-believers as she can see he doesn't pray normally).
If they also have some prayers in the morning that's a lot of praying for me to cope with as an atheist.

All the better schools round here are faith schools and the community schools aren't good at all so there's not much choice really

blametheparents · 25/06/2009 19:34

I tend to sew nametapes into my DS's fleece and coat (ie things that are taken off all the time) and I write the names in his polo shirts and trousers. We've not lost anything yet!

norksinmywaistband · 25/06/2009 19:40

They are lovely teafortwo, but I think DD who can already read her name, would have difficulty reading it in that script

wolfnipplechips · 25/06/2009 21:11

The school has asked us to use sew in name tags rather than iron on labels.

I totally understand where everybody is coming from re religion, we chose a non denomonational infant school and 2 catholic schools as our choices for dd, we didn't get our 1st choice but did get our third a catholic school, now i was brought up a catholic and dd was christned but we don't practice, it was a really good school but the whole thing felt uncomfortable, there's parts of catholisism that i still am not comfortable with. When we looked around the first thing that greeted us was a huge picture painted by children of the crucifixion. We decided to appeal and then changed our minds and opted for an independent school which is still christian but no where near as full on.

Original poster
treedelivery · 25/06/2009 21:55

Evening mamas

Just back from mammoth shopping trip souding our uniforms etc.

Our nearest proper shopping is an hour, and so I went to the out of town one there rather than battle the city centre as was me and baby dd2 on own.

Had bizzare no uniform to be found experience! Mothercare had a few racks - I liked their polo shirts come blouses, but the rest was a bit nothing special. Next didn't have it in store - I wonder if they do nearer the time or if it's online only?

Marks - phhtt. They had white tights for a 12 yo and navy for a 7. Not a great range then. Think we will still do our gilie shopping outing, but I'll buy it all online as back up.

Faith school here [obviously, church go-ers] but mainly because all my happy memories of school hinge on the church related activity, such as may procession, and visiting the old folks with the nuns to hand out harvest boxes, trooping off to mass and so on. But if the dc's reject it and embrace something else it's all good with me. The catholic they are going to is easy going and relaxed aboout it I think, it isn't hells fire and brimstone so I think it is a warm school.

Would, if I had a wish, have my girls go to one of our local indies. AS day boarders. It a beautiful beautiful school, but dream on.

DD1 preschool stuff is just written on in marker - thought I'd pull the stops out for this great event!

OP posts:
golgi · 25/06/2009 22:08

I think boy shopping may be easier - grey trousers, white polo-shirt - not a lot of style decisions to be made really. He won't try things on in shops though (it's a hereditary condition, his dad is the same)

simpson · 25/06/2009 22:16

yes I think boys shopping might be easier. No buttons

DS won't try the clothes on here either

Have still got to get his PE T shirt, socks and shoes (nearer the time for those)

Have just ordered name tags so looks like I had better get sewing

EldonAve · 25/06/2009 22:28

Hi, sorry failing to keep up with this thread

Does anyone recall a thread from last year (I think) about how the kids would be really tired starting school etc - I've tried to find it but failed

teafortwo · 25/06/2009 22:34

French children are taught to read and write like that from the onset so Milk will be fine!

Milk's school has no religious leaning. It is a bilingual school so any emphasis, I suppose, because of the intake and curriculum is on multi-culturalism and bilingualism.

swissmiss · 25/06/2009 22:49

Just like golgi, norks and pink I'll have DD1 starting in Sept 2010 so I'll be doing this all again next year. She'll be in mixed classes with her older brother too. Another small village school.

Uniform arrived from M&S but haven't yet tried it on as he fell in a stinky ditch whilst we were picking strawberries this afternoon and I didn't fancy trying it all out on him before he'd had a bath, and by time that was done it was all too much. However name tapes also arrived and he was really excited about helping me put them on his gym shorts and coat with the taggits (thanks to whoever recommended them!)