what might be useful in a year 7's school bag (not the bag itself but contents)

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any tips from those who have gone before please.

So bit of money (in blazer ideally I suppose) for emergency, bus card, sanitary towels, tissues, plasters (new shoes and long walk), pencil case (calculator, pens, pencils, geometry stuff etc), small notebook (? thought might be useful in first few days? she suggested putting a little post it pad in her pencil case), umbrella and/or packamac, plastic bag for wet umbrella, obviously lunch and water bottle.

anything I am completely forgetting?
thanks

No I think worrying 6 weeks in advance about what goes in a pencil case is winding yourself and your child up. I would enjoy the summer and then do it.

I just made sure mine had a little emergency cash and DD also has a zipped bag with spare knickers and san pro. Like a PP she also insists on a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

When they get their timetable, take a pic of it so it’s on their phone, one should be in their planner, put one in a pocket with spare pen and stick one up at home. That should cover all the bases.

Of course it's not winding anyone up. We got my dds stuff last month in time for her transition days. The bag is ready in the cupboard now and we don't need to think about it again until school starts. Easy

This is going to be one heavy-ass bag.

How bizarre to think that buying stuff in readiness is "winding yourself and your child up". What is "winding up" about it . genuinely confused.

You'd hate me, I've bought blazers already for the next two years!

In fact I bulk bought lots of things before Year 7 so that when they get lost/broken we already have a spare. 30cm rulers seem to get broken by boys in particular for sport. Protractors have bits that can be taken apart (and lost), rubbers are coloured in and poked with compasses and someone is clearly doing a good trade in "acquired" scientific calculators on ebay.

Sorry obviously compasses have bits that can be taken apart not protractors - protractors get used as frisbees!

A football is a must.

DS2 won't leave the house without a football and a cricket ball.

I've just asked my DC and they both said "a new year 7 won't have any books yet, so they probably shouldn't need anything in their bags except their lunch if they are not buying it." They both keep keys and pencil cases in their blazer pockets. It seems that less is very much more as they will either be carrying this or having to stuff it into a locker. Umbrella only needed on wet days; it doesn't matter if they get wet going home so much, so doesn't need to stay in bag.

DD does have a water bottle as part of her lunch; DS uses water fountains.
DD has a stash of sanitary towels (enough to lend a friend) and ibuprofen (she gets bad period pains) in her locker. She finds this easier than them getting buried in her bag.

You'd hate me, I've bought blazers already for the next two years!

I agree, no harm in getting organised with school stuff, but this seems very premature as how on earth do you know how your DC are going to grow in the next 2 years?

DD (now end of Year 8) hasn't grown at all since Year 6, and DS had a massive growth spurt in Year 8 and went up about 3 sizes overnight.
I wouldn't have predicted either of these things before they even started secondary.

this seems very premature as how on earth do you know how your DC are going to grow in the next 2 years?

Well I have two DS's two years apart. One is going into year 8 and one is going into year 10. DS2 wears the hand me downs. I've bought an age 15 and an age 16 when the sale was on. The likelihood of neither child reaching the normal size for a 16 year old by the time they leave for university at 18 is pretty slim. Particularly since DS2 is already above average height.

I would send them with the bare minimum and add to it as needed

Nothing less cool than arriving with a backpack stuffed with half WH smiths

I would try to find out the score with books for your school. My DC have had text books, exercise books and folders for each subject from year 7. They also have a school academic year diary to carry around and the sports kit on its own (separate bag) can be ridiculously heavy

Lots of black Bic Biros
Pencil and sharpener
Ruler, rubber
Glue stick! I love yr 7s, they all have a, glue stick! Also green pen may be useful for in class corrections but check the colour with the school
Front door key
Water bottle but please one that shuts properly
Books needed for that day
Planner
Girls : sanpro, spare tights

IME by the way once they got to yr 10-11 they had phone in one pocket and chewed Biro in the other and that was all! Maybe just my form...

A homework station at home with separate stationery, glue, celeotape, plain, lined and coloured paper, coloured pencils and selection of pens, pencils and rulers. This way they can keep their pencil case in their school bag at all times.

Ours have all actually used their kagoules. And actual coats in the winter. We can normally get things like blazers dry overnight, but I would surmise that some of those who feel that it's cooler to get absolutely soaking wet on the way to or from school also get to find out how cool it is to spend the rest of the week in a damp and increasingly whiffy blazer.

Student welfare office here - looking after the new year 7s. In our school, part from epi pens/inhalers obviously, students must not carry any medication on them. Also, spray deodorant is strongly discouraged as has caused problems with causing asthma attacks when sprayed around in the PE changing room.

If they have lockers, then a small bag with a spare pair or knickers/pads/wipes is a really good idea, along with the other stuff they won’t need every day.

thank you. I am not planning on overfilling it - it was really trying to work out what we might need to put on the list to buy over the holiday. She loves organising and planning so it isn't stressing her out at all, she would be more stressed if we WEREN'T thinking about it yet. She will have a long walk so I think a cagoul will be a good idea, lighter than an umbrella bearing in mind what you are all saying about the weight of things and still useful even if it is windy. Hopefully she will be able to get a locker which will help with some of the PE kit. We have had a list of requirements for pens, calculator, geometry set, colouring pencils etc but helpful to have ideas about other stuff. keeping a deoderant in her locker with sanitary towels and knickers is a really good idea. I wouldn't have thought about keeping a pen separately too in case she does lose her pencil case. Noted to keep more pens etc at home to avoid ending up forgetting her pencil case. She loves the idea of ziplock bags for subjects so we will see when she gets there if that might work for her.

thanks everyone

She loves organising and planning so it isn't stressing her out at all, she would be more stressed if we WEREN'T thinking about it yet.

I was about o comment on the 'chillout, don't worry' comments.

I remember the first 4 weeks of the summer after juniors worrying that as my parents were very much do things at the last minute I would end up in school with no uniform.

My mum eventually did take me uniform shopping.

I was quite a worrier. I'm a real organiser (I make Monica from friends look like an amature) and leaving things just makes we itchy.

MNHQ

Could this be pinned somewhere? Maybe a 'starting year 7/new school topic? It is such a useful thread.

I'd say mostly a decent water bottle. Ds1's school has banned single use plastic on the premises, which is fantastic. They stopped selling it but don't want children bringing it to school either.

Also a large enough bag for p.e kit. It's probably too late for you check locker sizes but at Ds' school he said they are only big enough for jewellery/ pens etc not even a pair of shoes. He carries it back and forth and lost it a few times so we got a bag big enough to accommodate it when his bag inevitably broke.

good point on locker sizes - will ask around a few people in older years over the holidays. She has big feet so her trainers are large but I had been assuming she could keep those at school at least. Good quality, strong water bottle already purchased (BPA free as she won't use anything else after a teacher at school told them they would die if they did!)

yes sashh - I have always been a bit of a planner too and would have been in a state if I hadn't known I had what I would need or been able to ask questions in advance. I would have been worried there would be a shortage of something I needed in my size if it was left until the last minute.

Eldest dc starting year 7 this year so interested in this!