Years 10 and 11 - exercise books or folders?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Dd has just started year 10 and seems to be using file paper and ring binders for most subjects.

She is autistic and we’ve had a stressful weekend trying to source the ‘right’ folders, working out a system etc. And not only that, buying this stuff is not cheap!

Is it a way for schools to save some money?

Its far easier to organise work for different modules for revision purposes, rather than having to flip back and forward in an exercise book. Also means any printed handouts can be kept alongside notes. I am a secondary teacher and I recommend all exam level pupils have them.

Really that’s interesting. My middle dd mostly used exercise books for GCSEs. And that was at a top grammar school.

What about students who can’t afford to buy so many folders?

I always have a stash of stationery for pupils to help themselves to, personally. A mix of previous pupils' who have left and new ones the school buys in to be given sparingly. I'm not in a top grammar school, I'm in a low ranking Scottish secondary with a high poverty rate and they all have what they need.

Thanks @Slidesswingsandtears I’m just feeling grumpy tonight, sorting all this out for my daughter has not been easy. Went to two branches of WH Smith’s today, their stock was low. So now she’s stressing. I’ll hit Ryman first thing tomorrow morning.

we always used ring binders. I find exercise books a bit strange for that level - pupils seem to spend forever gluing sheets in, and then they never end up in the right order - two days later they find something else that should go in, or there is work that belongs in the written part but no room to glue the sheets with it, so they come later, or the worksheets have two sides to they only get half glued in and then fall out, or the homework comes back at a different time and then gets glued in whenever, or you have to keep flipping back and forth between pages to find what is needed/revise, etc etc. Some subjects have two different teachers and then they have to start both at the front and back of the book to try to keep the work separate, and inevitably some things get in the wrong place.

We were always expected to have ring binders, looseleaf paper (with gummed reinforcements for the holes if needed) and to then keep our books organised with notes, homework, worksheets, etc. all in the same topic together.

wilko and places like that also have cheap stationery, or amazon.

You can get dividers to keep subjects separate if they use one ring binder for more than one subject, depending on the size

WHSmith and Ryman are expensive.
Try eBay or Amazon. Supermarkets have good deals this time of year.

What about students whocant afford to but so many folders

Buying folders for school are a very minor part of the expenses involved in raising a child to adulthood.

@Porcupineintherough

What about students whocant afford to but so many folders

Buying folders for school are a very minor part of the expenses involved in raising a child to adulthood.

@Porcupineintherough that may be so but for some families who are used to schools providing exercise books, having to provide stationery can be a costly expense even at cheaper shops.

We had another issue this morning - getting so many folders in her bag. Dd wanted the 'floppy' ones with a plastic cover rather than hard cardboard which was why I was running around yesterday.

It's not so much about the money for us, it's doing this with an autistic child who is already so stressed about school

It seems to vary subject by subject for DD2 (just started Y10). Some have given out exercise books, some have asked for folders and paper which of course meant a panic trip to WHSmiths as she was convinced she needed them by tomorrow!

I'm currently on my 4th dc doing the gcse years.

For school only one folder is needed with dividers for each subject. At home we used the cardboard file boxes and the times I was really broke, these were made by recycling things like cereal boxes and strengthening up with whatever old paper we had around.

The expensive bit was buying them their own GCSE revision books as they seem to retain their value even buying second hand.

By year 10 we was used to buying all stationary and avoided places like whsmith and rymans. Pens we mainly buy the 4 in ones, usually cheap on amazon on sub and save. Binders from supermarkets and pound shop.

Had to buy yet another calculator and math set this year, found this all in one for less than £12 on amazon
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VHD7LFN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8