Can we talk shoes / bags / coats / stationery please

[supercaliforniasurfer]

The time has come to do the dreaded back to school shopping, only this time we have the added dilemma of starting yr7.

What are the most popular sensible choices?

Oh and do we name label everything like pencil cases etc or is that not the done thing anymore?

Oh and do we name label everything like pencil cases etc or is that not the done thing anymore?

Oh and do we name label everything like pencil cases etc or is that not the done thing anymore?

Aah sorry about all the posts, am on my phone.

All high schools have their own trends for shoes/coats/pencil cases etc so unless you know an older child at the school but cheap things that you don't mind replacing once the trend has been established

Definitely name the calculator, other equipment the teachers will want named but the pupils are less bothered

Coats need naming in multiple locations if they are a decent brand
If traveling on public transport it's worth marking the name of the school on there somehow

We did this and a very kind older pupil picked it up and it ended up in school lost property

Do you have a child who is fashion conscious, or who loses everything?

DS1 is going into year 8, and a sensible school with relatively little peer pressure. He loses everything.

School shoes - same as primary.

School trainers - cheap Nike.

Bag - he's currently using a black rucksack from SportsDirect. Understand the girls may be bothered, but he assures me that the boys don't care. He has a separate Games Kit bag, a swimming kit bag, and a boot bag (for muddy stuff).

Coat - cheapest black parker style I could buy, as he lost the last one.

Stationery - we got all excited last year, with folders, and nice pencil cases for home and school. I fondly remembered my maths kit which lasted me from age 11 until 16. He lost/broke/soaked in ink the lot. Twice. We popped to WH Smiths today and topped up with their basic range and a £1.50 clear pencil case.

Again, it depends on how tidy and fashion aware your child is. Apparently the rubbers in the style of burgers are popular, although the art teacher is not keen.

I label EVERYTHING. It doesn't seem to make the slightest difference!

If it's a boy, chances are the pencil case will end up as a chewed biro shoved in a blazer pocket.

Stuff will get lost, so don't buy expensive. If you buy a clear ruler/protractor etc, then it will look identical to everyone else's, so scratch initials on.

Bizarrely I've seen some kids with protractors that are solid coloured plastic. They go straight in the bin - you can't measure an angle if you can't see through the protractor.

Coats are often not worn.

I have a dd who loses everything

Did you really leave it this late?
Discreet labelling is ok, inside of things.
DS kept using same backpack from primary school.

Check if there is a recommended school calculator. My Y7s turned up last year with a totally weird selection, most crap.

This calculator will see you through secondary school, currently on offer in Tesco. www.tesco.com/direct/casio-fx-83gt-plus-scientific-calculator/210-0796.prd?skuId=210-0796&pageLevel=sku&sc_cmp=ppc_sh--sh--tesco-_-210-0796&gclid=CPWasp651c4CFc0y0wodUtYBkQ&gclsrc=aw.ds&source=others

Lljkk they don't start back til the 5 th. I didn't think this was leaving it late!

Ok so will just go for cheap stationery / coat and can replace if necessary/lost then. Think dd was dreaming of paperchase!

Thanks for the link noblegiraffe will add that to the list.

School shoes-lace up brouges would be a good choice or slip on(no Velcro)

Trainer-nike(everyone has them-you can find some cheap ones if you think she might lose them)

Bag-hype/vans/superdry/Nike/adidas

Coats-they won't wear them unless they're really expensive cool ones from superdry or hollister(even then they won't wear them that often)

Stationery-just cheap but cool looking basics like pens,pencils,Colouring pencils,coloured pens,sharpener,rubber,ruler,maths set.(maybe look at Asda for cheap stuff-whsmith for more fancy nice things)

Only discreet labeling(like initialed stickers on inside of stuff) on pe clothes+shoes and bags and coat.

What about uniform... like the logoed blazers & PE kit? do you have that stuff?
Our uniform suppliers run out of the most popular sizes early.

The kids want what everyone else has, so might want to cobble together something that will suffice & wait for your DC to come home & tell you what they want after 1st few days. Lunchboxes, too.

Dd is going into yr7. Today we bought- slip on shoes from Clark's, stationery from Wilkinson (I have 3dc so buy packs and split them), backpack from sports direct. Dd isn't into fashion so not worried about having cool stuff.
We bought the calculator from Tesco.
She does have a hair appt booked for a fashionable haircut though.

Calculator is sold by the school and Ds wrote his name on it with a sharpie.

School shoes are just Clarks as he has wide feet.

I sewed labels into everything, and stuck labels in his shoes, nothing fancy just a straight name label sticker. Football boots and trainers are Puma as his feet are too wide for Nike etc. Again labelled.

Our school has a set stationery list that they have to have in their pencil case, this is checked every week. We labelled everything with a dab of tippex and his initials. Although some arsehole thieving bastard children do pick the tippex off after deliberately taking the pens so we found a way to do it inside the cap meaning you can't hide the fact it is my son's.

We use retractable pencils so no sharpening required when the lead snaps.

Two pencil cases, one for every day and one with coloured pencils in/less used maths equipment. Ds1 is about to go into year 9 so we have done this for 2 years with success.

Bag is sports direct one. He has only ever lost 1 sock for PE so we now have 2 pairs just in case.

Did you really leave it this late?

My kids aren't back for a fortnight! I never start any earlier, they might grow

And I've been working full time all summer (and can't arsed go to town the weekend). I've got a day put aside next week for it all, when I'm finally off.

Lace up kickers are popular at dd's school, but she didn't want them and has Clarks. (Non Mary Jane ones.)
Hype bag
Navy parka. Girls do wear winter coats at dd's school and parkas are the most popular choice.
Dd just has a plastic see through pencil case. I write her name on everything and she's had a lost pencil case, trainers and PE kit returned because of this. She hasn't lost anything that wasn't returned to her.
She picked some £28 Nike trainers from Sport direct.