Silly questions about starting secondary school

[Uberly]

Hello!

I wanted to start this thread so I could ask all these silly questions that I have about my DS starting secondary school this Sept.

I hope that others who have or had children at secondary school might suggest things us new to all of this may have missed.

Also, please feel free to use this thread to ask any of your own questions (that's if this thread takes off). I think I'm right in saying that I'm not the only one walking around a bit confused in this new experience!

So, my questions are:

• what pens should I be buying for DS to write with? School hasn't said. He's used to those handwriting ones, but I had to use cartridge pens. Will he need that too?

• will he need a gum shield? Again, school hasn't said and he's not one for PE anyway! I'm guessing that the answer to shin pads is yes, he'll need those.

• should he be wearing a watch for school?

I'll add more if and when they come to me!

Thanks

Ds's school don't like them to use a biro, any other pen is fine. They also don't like felt tip pens.

He'll need a gum shield, and he'll need a watch. They should send you a list of what he needs.

Thank you! The school did send a uniform and equipment list, but it didn't seem complete to me. Equipment list says this (I'm typing it word for word)
Bag
Pens, pencils, ruler, rubber
Coloured pencils (not felt tips)
Basic calculator

...see what I mean!

I've also bought him a small dictionary and geometry set.

Pens - I'm sure the handwriting ones will be fine. DS's school certainly don't require cartridge pens.

Gum shield - It really depends if he is going to be playing rugby! You can pick up fairly cheap gum shields which will do the job if he's just learning as part of his PE lesson. DS only wore his a couple of times.

Shin pads are pretty essential for any football (not an issue here, as DS is a football nut), but again, pick up a cheap pair in Sports Direct unless he is taking the sport further.

Watch - DS never wears one (just checks his phone), but if your DS is getting public transport it might be handy. Clocks and bells keep them in the right place at school.

Ds has never used his dictionary. What about a folder? Useful for the bits of paper which the teachers hand out (they call it homework I think). I'd send him with a berol and a cartridge pen, as well as a cheap mobile phone so he can call you if he's going to be late out of school. A pay as you go one will be OK.

Dcs use Mobiles for time, but my Ds has no sense of time and finds he needs a watch for tests or exams.
Pens - my dcs like the cheap pack of10 you get in Tesco.
Ds has never needed a gum shield
Dd decided to join the rugby team in year 9 so we got her one then.

When DS started in Y7 I bought lots of very naice pens. Which were promptly 'borrowed' by all and sundry. Very soon, I just bought 17p ones, in bulk, from Wilkinsons...

My DD started last September and has used a variety of biros - don't go for expensive pens as they will be borrowed/lost.
She needed a more than a basic calulator but the school suggested the type and sold them at cost to us. The geometry set was required and has been used.
For boys the type of bag may not be important but for girls they have definite ideas of what they should have (and it's often not the most practical - see other threads re bags).
She doesn't wear a watch but uses her phone clock and the school day is run by bells.
A folder for odd sheets of homework as not everything will be in books. It would also be useful for letters home as not everything is sent out via e-mail.
One thing I noticed about the move to secondary is the lack of chasing from the admin staff - at primary when children didn't return permission slips then the office would chase parents but now if the form isn't returned then they won't go and will have to stay at school.
At home you'll need lots of plain A4 paper for homework and stock up on printer ink as she seems to have had to print off pictures etc as well as some work (the library at school only does black and white) !
He may need a water bottle for drinks during the day.

if I think of anything else I'll add to the list.

Don't rely on getting a list. I didn't get one at DS's previous school.

May well need acres of sticky back plastic!

Fitted gum shields got lost, even a very expensive coloured one with a unique pattern, so we soon resorted to boil in the bag, which do not seem to have caused any problems. Only needed, in our case, for hockey. Can be ordered quickly so you can wait till asked.

With pens keep using what he is used to until told otherwise, and buy the minimum. Pencil cases get left in various classrooms, and if they reappear - which is not often - they come back stripped of key items.

Losing things is much worse in Yr 7 than other years, so hold onto the nice pencil case for now.

My DD has shin pads on her uniform list.

We too are wondering about pen colour, as her Junior school would only let them use blue...

As for bags - she has a mile and half walk so she needs something practical (my wish) and fashionable (her wish). Is such a bag even made???

Buy what it says on the list and the school can't complain.
I would get a watch though (especially if there's a bus to catch). Not all schools allow mobiles and looking at one for the time in a lesson could cause trouble!

Erm, yes, looking at a mobile for the time in most of our local schools would mean an instant confiscation (including the one I work in and the one my ds is going to)!

I'm Head of Year in a middle school (year 6-9) and I would suggest based on the equipment list that you can get which ever pens your son prefers in blue or black ink. Sticky back plastic is always good for covering books. If your son is going to have a packed lunch and drink in his bag then a zip lock plastic folder is a good idea for storing exercise books in. That way if his drink leaks his work will be safe! We allow watches but not mobile phones. However, I would suggest not buying an expensive one as it will need to be removed for PE and could get lost.

One of the other tips I always give the parents of new starters is to take a copy of your childs timetable and homework timetable at the beginning of the year and stick it somewhere where you and your child can see it. At the end of each day look at the timetables with your child check what lessons your they have got and get them into a routine of packing only the things that they need for the next day. We have so many pupils coming to school with huge rucksacks filled with everything they need for the week and more. They struggle to carry it and things seem to get lost very quickly because they cant remember where things are. Plus, it really helps the child if they can learn at home how to be organised for the following day. It stops any anxiety about forgetting homework and worry about getting into trouble. x

Thank you so much for all the wonderful responses! Loads of great advice, thanks....I'm so glad i asked!

A few of you have mentioned a folder for loose papers/homework. Hadn't considered this. Would you suggest a ring binder or one of those plastic types with a popper-like thing on it?!

Thanks also for the advice about having a timetable copied and posted somewhere at home. Self-organisation of DS is going to be interesting come September!

Thanks everyone

DS has one of those files with poppers to put all the random sheets in-works well and I actually get letters/forms to sign.

Yes that is very useful Mamabear.

My Ds is akin to Mr Bean on the organizational front so it will be a learning curve for us all.

Still need to buy everything but the Kitchen sink. Have only bought the two lots of Sports Kit - minus Rugby/football boots. Sigh. And have to sort out IGO photo.
Stressed just thinking about it

I think they sorted out the fingerprints on transfer day in the July before he started tiggy and we were told how to put cash on the card.
He never had a hot dinner though-he said the queues were horrendous and it was easier to take sandwiches.

It's so much easier tiggy. There was no card at DS's school it was fingerprints. Sorry I forgot that, we would have had to put money on the account and he would use his fingerprint to buy stuff.

He's moved schools were I believe it's all cash, but he still takes sandwiches. The biggest shock was they can have whatever they like in their lunchbox. Pop, chocolate whatever. Just no sports drinks.

One of the other things that took a bit of getting used to was how detached I felt. At First and Middle School I knew the secretary for a chat, most of the teachers etc. If DS lost something I would go in and have a rummage through Lost Property etc.

Now i never set foot in the High School. There is no need. I will get to meet his teachers at some point no doubt. But I have to rely on DS to tell me stuff (no school gate chat). Or check the school website. A lot.

our school hands out the canteen cards on day 1, but they have topping up machines for the students to use (as well as parents topping up). Neither of mine use the canteen, occasionally get a cookie or muffin for the snack bar, but reckon the canteen queues are too long and by the time you get to the counter there's nothing nice left. I'd send in sandwiches till he works out whether the canteen is OK and what all his mates are doing.

yes, yes yes to sticky backed plastic - most of the first lots of Y7 homework were "decorate your books with relevant pictures and cover with plastic". Ad yes yes yes to lots of paper and printer ink.

Pens, our school is fussier in Y7 (but only so far as "no gel pens"), but individual teachers specify if they feel like it are a bit anal. So a pack of cheap biros or whatever till he finds out what his particular set of teachers want.

I bough shin pads for DD1 who wore them precisely never, they got lost in her bedroom many years ago, and DD2 has never needed them at school (they're not big fans of contact sports at school). A boiling gum shield should be OK unless he's in a team and needs something particular.

Don't expect a great deal by way of communication from the school, it's really not like primary at all which can be very disconcerting for parents, ad it's expected that the students will sort stuff out for themselves. However, our school website is really good, and i make a habit of checking the school calendar every day just before DD2 leaves for school, so I can remind her that such and such is happening next week, and has she had the letter about it.

Thanks to SparklingGoldMedals - will buy some of those folders then!

Tiggy - DS's new school is cashless using fingerprints (no cards). We had to sign a permission slip to allow the school to fingerprint him (!) when he starts in Sept. Good point though, don't know what you do on the first few days. DS is opting for packed lunches, so won't be an issue for us. Will get him a cashless account though as we were told that he can get a drink or snack during playtimes (guess, i should start calling them break times now...more grown up lol)

IShallWearMidnight - lots of good info there, thanks! Will stock up on sticky backed plastic! Lack of communication is quite a worry for me really. DS can never remember messages and generally hasn't a clue whats going on around him! This aspect of secondary school will be interesting!

Bringbacksideburns (Wiggo! Wiggo!) - your DS sounds like my DS!