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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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golgi · 29/07/2009 18:54

Hello Cumili - I've bought sew on labels. Haven't actually sewn them onto anything yet though!

LtEveDallas - suggest to Nana that if she wants granddaughter to go in Trutex shirts then she could buy some......

Aconiyx - my son has never been on a playdate, accompanied or otherwise. He seems to get on quite well with some of the children at nursery (mostly the girls) but the playdate thing hasn't come up. He would be unlikely to stay at anyone's house without me though.

I bought some shoe/boots in TK Maxx the other day because they were a bargain - they're half a size too big but I'm sure he'll grow into them, I'll try in a couple of weeks and if they're still boaty I'll get him a cheap pair to last until they fit.

Original poster
treedelivery · 30/07/2009 09:44

Morning people.

I haven't been around much but I don't know why! School seems futher away now than it did when dd was at preschool.
It's going to be odd getting back into it all!

I have no idea what happens about school lunch on the first day/week. Do they just declare their intention on the 1st morning? When do I pay? What is going on?

I don't like not knowing these things.

I looked at trutex too, when looking for cotton clothes. Wow at the prices!

I totally agree Acinonyx, on your Wedensday post. It's all wierd. What I find really bonkers is that the schools seem to expect me to not want to know stuff or have an interest in the school day. That's my child - even when she is at school! I am still the one who knows her best and retains overall charge for her. Aren't I? Please? Surely?

I don't like this

Ahhhh thats better...

OP posts:
Acinonyx · 30/07/2009 10:37

Oh I am also confused about lunches - who to pay - how it's organised. The information is bitty and there are so many gaps. I suppose it is all so routine for teachers and they've seen it all before - but not for us parents of first children to go to school!

Golgi - never had a playdate via preschool but have a few other mummy friends from nct/baby classes/misc that we see regularly. It's all about me having tea and cake with other mummies an hoping the dc play together. Unfortunately all those other dc will be going to different schools.

PinkTulips · 30/07/2009 10:44

hello all, sorry i've not been great at keeping up, have had a rotten chest infection for weeks.

i'm also seething a bit at the lack of info from our school... they seem to work on the presumptionj that we all know what needs to be done, they haven't even given us a suggestion list of what uniform items to get, so i've ended up buying loads of everything as i haven't a clue!

her school books should be here today or tomorrow though so i can have great fun plastic coating and labeling those

LtEveDallas · 30/07/2009 10:57

Oh my bloody mother - just suggested to her that I couldn't afford Trutex clothing and got "She's your only child - I would give up ANYTHING to make sure my child had the best" She seems to think that DD will be bullied if she has anything less than the best because "you are moving to a much more upmarket area" (The fact that she has never been to Oxford in her life makes me wonder how she knows this - psychic ability maybe?)

.......I'm more than but this is the same woman who, when I have asked her to get me something before (because I cant buy it online or get it sent to Cyprus) NEVER gets what I ask for, always finds a cheaper, more crappy alternative and buys that (but keeps the cash I send her).......

(on a more note all my labels, stickers etc have come and I love them, but I went and bloody forgot that by sending the clothes to my mothers I'm going to have to sew them in the day before DD starts school - what an idiot!)

Aranea · 30/07/2009 11:01

Sorry you've been ill, PinkTulips.

We haven't had any information from the school, so I'm working on the assumption that nothing needs to be done at all. I do hope that's right, otherwise there will be a bit of a panic on her first week!

School books?? What sort of books have you got? I have the impression that dd's school will spend the reception year playing with sand!

Re. playdates - yes, we do the coffee & cake and hoping the kids will play nicely. Sometimes it works. And we've been lucky and been able to do some playdates with local children who will be in her class, too, so fingers crossed that will help them all adjust.

Aranea · 30/07/2009 11:03

at your mother, LtEve! Sounds like she's more worried than you are!

Original poster
treedelivery · 30/07/2009 11:18

LtEve - has your mother misunderstood? Maybe she thinks dc is going to the university?
She's imagining a primary with spires. For sure.

OP posts:
golgi · 30/07/2009 13:40

"I have no idea what happens about school lunch on the first day/week. Do they just declare their intention on the 1st morning? When do I pay? What is going on? "

Tree - I have been asking myself the same question! I think I might send son with packed lunches to start with, because I am imagining him turning up on the first day and there being no school dinnner for him.

We had a leaflet telling us how healthy the school dinners are, but nothing so helpful as 1) how much they cost and 2) how you go about ordering them.

Original poster
treedelivery · 30/07/2009 13:50

Well, it is sort of comforting to know that a)I'm not just being dense and b) it's not just the school we choose being naff!

Weird though. I guess it is so normal to them they forget we have no idea.

Like midiwives and hv's

OP posts:
Aranea · 30/07/2009 14:08

Our school prospectus has info about school dinner costs and how to pay. Maybe yours does?

furrycat · 30/07/2009 14:16

Ok, can anyone advise me about what happens at lunchtime? DS1 is having school dinners - will he be expected to make a choice each day (ie veg or non vege) and will he have to carry his tray to the table on his own? He's tiny and bound to drop it....

PinkTulips · 30/07/2009 14:44

aranea, she has:

5 english books - 1 story writing, 2 comprehension, one handwriting, one phonics

2 maths books, although one is 2 books in one volume

an irish book

a religon book

a music book

a science and environment (sese) book

the music and science are senior infants leval as they share a room and teacher so they do those subjects as one class.

they're all workbooks and look quite cool, they arrived today and i've been leafing through them, although the phonics book is missing

Aranea · 30/07/2009 16:37

Oh how exciting. I am quite envious. I think our school spends at least the first half term trying to get them used to it all rather than teaching them as far as I can tell. Which I know is a good thing, but I can't help getting excited at the idea of a story writing book. I can't wait for her to be writing stories! She'll love it!

Aranea · 30/07/2009 16:38

Oops. Forgot you have to put ^ either side of each word. Ho hum.

PinkTulips · 30/07/2009 18:29

i think they go fairly slow at first here too, the teacher said the only thing she needed them to know was how to hold a pencil and other than that they don't need to be prepared in any way.

the story writing book is lovely, there's a picture on each page and 2 lines below it to write what's happening in the picture....... can't see them getting far with it this year though unless they're supposed to tell us the words they want to write and we write them?

golgi · 30/07/2009 18:59

Do they need to take their own pencils?

Mine has a book bag, but as far as I know no books to put in it...

And Prospectus? No such thing. We got a wodge of photocopies.

PinkTulips · 30/07/2009 19:06

i just realised at dinner WE DIDN'T EVEN GET A START DATE!!!!

they actually presume we just know

wodge of photocopies? we got 2 sheets, a book list and a list of school rules. that was IT

golgi... ours have to bing their own pencils, she mnentioned that at the meeting alright.

golgi · 30/07/2009 19:41

I'm not sure it will be worth it with The Boy, as he won't pick one up.
I'm really hoping it is just playing with sand for a year, can't see them being able to persuade him to make marks on paper. I can't, anyway.

Aranea · 30/07/2009 20:20

Wow, I sort of assumed schools had to have prospectuses (prospecti??). How are you supposed to make a decision about where to send your child then?

simpson · 30/07/2009 20:22

furrycat my Ds is having school dinners too and will have to carry a tray and has a choice of 3 different meals.

This is causing me sleepless nights

Teacher assured me that there are loads of people to help them (think they also rope in older pupils)

Have not even thought about pencils/books etc

Note to self: actually read the info the school gave me

PinkTulips · 30/07/2009 20:47

aranea... living in a village, 5 miles from the closest other village and 10/15 miles from any towns, which only has one dinky little school of 80 pupils and 4 teachers seems to negate the 'choice' of where to send them

Aranea · 30/07/2009 20:54

PinkTulips. That sounds like a world away from here!

Original poster
treedelivery · 30/07/2009 21:02

I think in my area people mainly just go to the nearest. I looked around 3, which was less than I thought I would. I also looked around the private but we just couldn't afford it. Really liked it though.

I think about 250 in our primary, which is classed as medium. There is one class of 30. On eof our nearest has 4 classes of 30 starting. So many little people!The private has 12 in the year.

As well, I think the school seems nice and I'm sure she will love it

OP posts:
JustcallmeDog · 30/07/2009 21:19

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