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Secondary education

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Original poster

Equipment for 6th form

12 replies

bigbluebus · 27/08/2013 16:24

DS starts at 6th form college next week. I asked him what he needed to get by way of stationery and other equipment and was met with a shrug.

He has now asked me to take him shopping on Friday nothing like leaving it until the last minute to buy some things, but I don't really know what he needs and don't want to spend more than is necessary.
I assume that exercise books will no longer be supplied and that he will need A4 pads and folders of some sort, but not sure if best to get A4 ringer binders or Lever Arch. He will be doing 4 subjects so presumably needs a separate folder for each, although I can't see him wanting to lug 4 files around with him every day.

Those of you whose DC are already in 6th form, what do they do? Do they have a Lever Arch and dividers to take in each day and the transfer stuff to individual folders at home or do they do something else?

DS is completely disorganised has only had 10 weeks off to get this sorted so I need to find a system that means that his work will end up neatly organised and not like the mess that was his GCSE exercise books from which it was impossible to revise Hmm.

Also I am assuming, in the absence of being told anything by the college, that either they will supply lab coats/goggles (he is doing 3 sciences) or at least they will tell him at some point in the future where to buy those.

OP posts:
secretscwirrels · 27/08/2013 16:44

It's very different. They need a wheelbarrow
DS did 5 subjects at AS. They were told to have a folder for each subject but that would be impossible to carry.
He had a file at home for each subject and one huge lever file divided into 5 to take to college each day.
Is he doing maths? If so they need squared paper and I found some brilliant A4 exercise books on amazon. He may also need a graphing calculator (about £40).
They all seem to have a messenger bag for text books and equipment and then carry the huge folder.
No lab coats supplied, DS has his own.
There are lockers at his college but he only really uses that to leave his lab coat in.

WorrySighWorrySigh · 27/08/2013 17:34

DD doing two sciences and maths had to provide own lab coat (Amazon for this). Goggles provided by school.

Wilkinsons (if you have one nearby) is a good source of cheap basic materials such as ring binders, lined & graph paper etc

If expense is an issue dont forget that at some point there will be a Biology field trip to study something exciting like sphagnum moss and bladderwrack. This cost us around £150 in the summer term.

Original poster
bigbluebus · 27/08/2013 17:41

OMG secretsquirrels. This is going to cost me a fortune, isn't it! And I've just forked out £465 for his bus pass, not to mention the money I have had to spend on clothes at the start of the holidays, as he no longer needs to wear uniform.

He is doing Maths as well as Sciences, so will add squared paper to the list. Hopefully the scientific calculator he has already got will do for now -he did further maths GCSE and used it for that, so hoping that AS will be similar. School have previously been good at bulk buying stuff such as Calculators and revision guides and selling them at a reasonable price to the students so hoping that will continue into 6th Form.

He has said he wants a Messenger bag and has his eye on something slightly more expensive than I want to pay hopes to get away with the £3.99 retro one I bought in Home Bargain for him to take on holiday

Will also make sure I buy him a hole punch in the hope that any handouts actually make their way into his folders rather than screwed up at the bottom of his bag as the have done previously Hmm.

No doubt a locker will come with the requirement to buy a padlock too - DS didn't bother with a locker previously as the school was so big there was little chance of ever being near the lockers when you needed to be so he carried every text book and exercise book for all subjects around with him all the time as he was too idle to empty that bag out with the exception of PE days

Off to plant money tree Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
bigbluebus · 27/08/2013 17:44

Thanks worry. Hadn't thought about field trips. Hopefully it will at least be relevant to his course, unlike most other trips that school/college seem to run which appear to be 'jollies' eg English Dept trip to Barcelona!!!!

OP posts:
secretscwirrels · 27/08/2013 18:10

The folders don't have to be expensive. Home Bargains is fine Wink.
Thinking about it DS has a retro satchel rather than a messenger bag.
The calculator is for the statistics part of Maths and if he is not doing further maths he may not need it very soon. College may well have a supply.
No field trips done here.

WorrySighWorrySigh · 27/08/2013 18:19

Check with school about the field trip. I think it depends on exam board.

Lab coat is around £15 from Amazon. Had to be replaced at the end of the year as I think that DD's was so mired in god knows what it could have been used as a field trip all by itself!

cricketballs · 27/08/2013 18:31

I would echo secret's suggestion on a folder for day to day carrying of notes with a large folder/file at home for each subject. In terms of hand outs etc it is useful if he has a cardboard folder sort of thing to keep them in when given out and put them into the appropriate folders when home (he will need a hole punch). Other than the basics, I would also suggest highlighters

MrsGSR · 27/08/2013 18:47

My sister has just finished 6th form. She didn't need to provide a lab coat for biology (although she didn't do any other sciences) and they didn't do a field trip.

When I did a level maths we only needed a scientific calculator, graphical ones were provided. Squared paper is a good idea.

One folder for school with dividers should be fine, and buy lots of pens as they somehow go missing!

Original poster
bigbluebus · 27/08/2013 19:02

cricketballs I tried folders for loose bits of paper in Yrs 7-11, but he was too idle to put paper in them Hmm
MrsGSR Pens seem to breed in this house fortunately,(DH goes to lots of conferences and picks up freebees) although DS does seem to get through a few, mostly because he seems to take them apart during lessons.

OP posts:
trinity0097 · 27/08/2013 19:29

Squared paper not essential for Maths, for most topics lined is perfectly fine.

AtiaoftheJulii · 28/08/2013 13:40

I just got my daughter one of these expanding files - www.whsmith.co.uk/dept/stationery-and-office-expanding-files/list?hierarchyPath=/3/TOP_NAVIGATION/wc_dept_stationery_and_office/wc_dept_stationery_and_office_filing_and_storage/wc_dept_stationery_and_office_expanding_files&page=1&results=60&sort=asc_bestSellerRanking (she chose the grey one with the stitching, but there were lots of similar ones) so she just needs that each day and can put in the notes/handouts/whatever for each subject and then has ring binders at home to transfer them into. That's what she did for Y11 for the subjects which had lots of loose papers rather than exercise books, and it seemed to work well for her.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 28/08/2013 13:47

I asked dd2 and she says that all she needs is a packet of biros and a pencil case. :)

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