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

Well, I clearly got off lightly. DS has just finished Y7 and at no point during the year was sticky back plastic required. Thank goodness!

Schoolbags - it's been said before, but send them to school in the first week or so of Y7 with any old bag, and let them choose one once they know what style of schoolbag is "in". This particularly applies to girls. Otherwise you risk wasting money on a bag that is "so uncool, mum, no-one has them".

Luckily DS has been happy with a plain backpack.

Another thing - tights. DD1 (starting Y7 in September) has worn those woolly-type tights throughout primary, but I have been informed by her in no uncertain terms that opaque tights and only opaque tights will be acceptable for secondary. I hope I kept the receipt....

Oh, and the water bottle like he used to take to Middle School lasted about a week. I don't know whether it's just DS but he didn't want to take one any more.

Uberly We joked about the fingerprint thing that it was probably for the local police too-for the future.

Yep-one whole year here and no sticky backed plastic either.

Woolly tights are opaque, but I don't think many year 7s wear them.

I got DD a basic calculator and found it was a waste of money. They need a scientific calculator even for year 7.

Water bottles - it just isn't cool to have the same brightly coloured re-usable type that they had at primary school. So I just buy cheap six packs of 330ml bottles from the supermarket. I don't re-use those because of the links to cancer risks. I feel guilty about adding to the plastic bottle mountain, but at least I recycle them.

Pens - DD just takes black Bic pens. The cheaper own brand ones don't work as well.

DD's school expects parents to keep up to date by looking at their website regularly. They also email parents with newsletters, but will only text if it is urgent like a last minute closure as there is a cost element to texting and email is free.

Ours have a free school dinner on first day for Yr 7 so they have time to be fingerprinted.

Bunbaker - I know the woolly ones are opaque, but what they wear at secondary here are the nylon-y 70 denier ones (in blue) as opposed to the thick knitted-type ones. According to DD1 (and who am I to argue?).

I was checking through essential items with DD and DS1 today.

Sorry, I was checking through essential items with DD and DS1 today. Glue sticks are essential for them, they stick in lots of stuff into exercise books. Also highlighter pens.

We use supermarket water bottles - last time I read up on the cancer scare regarding the bottles it had been disproved.

Woolly tights definitely a no-no.

Biros or the Berol Handwriting fine at both my dcs schools.

Both needed Scientific Calculators from the start

If learning a language, then a French / German / Spanish to English dictionary is useful.

I'd wait and see with the gum shield / shin pads - in both my dcs' schools they rotate sports and only need things for a few weeks before they are on to the next sport

Wouldn't go for a ring binder - they are too bulky for their bags, but the plastic popper ones can be useful if you have a dd, my ds never grasped the concept of putting paper in his.

They will be given a 'Planner' to help organise themselves. Make Encourage them to get it out each day when they get home and it should say what homework is expected and what lessons they have for the next day.

Never needed any sticky back plastic for either of my dcs.

No problem with wearing a watch, but everyone under about 28 seems to just glance at their phone for the time, rather than a watch, so I wouldn't go and buy him one.

Find a way of sellotaping a £2 coin into the bottom of bag or inside a pocket somewhere for 'emergencies', and they will lose or forget their money.

Some school websites have things like diary dates and newslaetters on them - you won't get all letters that way, but it will help a bit.

HTH

"but everyone under about 28 seems to just glance at their phone for the time, rather than a watch, so I wouldn't go and buy him one."

I think that will depend on the school's mobile phone policy. If anyone did that at DD's school they would get a detention.

Wait till they ask for gum shields...they only get lost ,anyway! And if your child has braces you cant get them on over them either.

Buy whatever pens your child is happiest with...usually the big packs are best.

I bought shin pads cos it said on the list for my oldest when he first startedsecondary...but I never bothered with anyone else. Only important if you are a keen football/rugby/hockey player.

You can get away without having lots of the "specialist" stuff in my opinion.

It depends on the school's policy, but it is probably worth getting cheap versions of all of the specialist kit. When DS was in year 7 he got a detention in the first week for not having a complete PE kit (I hadn't labelled everything and he was missing a gum shield and tracksuit top). In the end I had to buy them but, as I expected, they never actually got worn!

A detention for something you didn't do?! That's shocking!
And you were right to think they would never be worn! I've learned from experience (third child started secondary last year)

My kid's school sell gum shields if they remember to take the money in. They are strict at the beginning of term (especially year 7) about having the PE "uniform", particularly the right coloured socks ,but this usually tails off.

I'm not usually such a rebel about school stuff, but it makes me mad that they expect you to buy these expensive items which then never get used. And also its a pain for the kids having to lug so much uneeded stuff around school all day (no lockers or cloakrooms!)

Dd started on Wednesday. I gave her normal cheap pens. Some pencils as certain classes asked for pencils. Ruler, rubber, sharpener. She hasn't been asked for a calculator but will be receiving a toshiba tablet on Tuesday. All first years at her school are getting one.

So far they seem to be getting on ok and she has managed to put money on her young scot card and pay for lunch.

Groovee - when did your dd get her Young Scot card? 'Ds hasn't got his yet but to be fair, he's not 12 until the middle of September.

He's been able to load his lunch money onto a Q card.

Dd came home before the end of P7 with it. They took the photo's in march and delivered them all to the school. She was 12 back in January but all her year got one as that is their card for lunches. My friend got one off the young scot website as her dd is at private school.

Ds was at a state primary too, in Glasgow

He says it is valid until December. I'll need to check the process out.

I have included a wallet for bus pass and dinner money in my list, if they put it loose in their bag, it will never get found. I got them the aluminimum water bottles (bargin at 75p each in asda at the moment!) I have also got them one of those big draw string sports bags for their PE kit (an addidas on , again, bargin off our "bag man" at the local market place) Oh and a geometry set and and angle cirle thing, I was told they use these from early on in yr7.

Prettybird, I just presumed all state schools were handing them out

If you have a girl, this might help. For my kids their calculators have been lost on more than one occasion (including once being gathered in with the class stock and the teacher denying that had happened), for DD we have got around this now as Sainsbury's sold the same calculator but it's pink. No one can claim it is the schools, and no one else seems to have one. That makes up for it being "pink".

Stuff like French dictionaries and scientific calculators (at our school anyway) are sold through the school much more cheaply than in shops and you know it's the right one!
At our school kids are expected to give cover all their text books with brown paper as homework in the first week of term

Thank you for this thread, really helpful. DS has never printed a picture. In his life. But I do love sticky back plastic.

Part of moving up to secondary school is that they take responsibility for their own stuff. I don't have anything to do with DD s pens etc. she just tells me what she needs.
Our school have a planner where any info is communicated via the pupil. Even for parents evening the child arranges the times that you as parent see the teachers.

Don't know which is worse. A short, rather vague list like the OP got or our incredibly detailed several page inventory filled with very specific and impossible to find items- Floppy half inch binder??? (can be green or blue, though).

my son didn't get his young scot card at primary either so I asked for application forms from the young scot people which I now have.......but I have now been told that they get their card issued to them at high school so I'll hold off for now.