Year 7 Essentials

[HopelesslyOptimistic]

Could you kindly hit me with good quality brands/shops for stationary, school ruck sack, sports bag and anything else you wish you'd known before your first child hit year 7. Thank you 🙏

If you 'care' about brands then try to see what current y7s have before the end of term. Things differ by area/school. Or go with something cheap/neutral until a few weeks in.
(Otherwise no suggestions.)

https://www.stevensons.co.uk/products/standard-backcare-backpack-3

This backpack has worn well. But it's NOT COOL. So careful...

Try to see what the other kids use for backpacks, sorry not much help as ours have to have school branded ones!
Tell DC not to give out their phone number until they have sussed other kids out and don't get involved in the group WhatsApp. DD lurks but never comments.
Buy multiple stationary and have a set in the school bag and a set at home.
Prepare them for friendships to be fluid in the first term or even throughout Yr 7 as people find their tribe.
Get used to having much less communication from school than in primary
Find out the uniform rules and make sure your DC fully knows them to prevent detentions etc
Get them into a routine of packing their bags the night before
Print off muiltple copies of the timetable and stick it on fridge, in bedroom etc as well as in bags.

Apart from that try not to let any anxiety you have transfer to your DC. It is as worrying for us as it is for them I think.

If it's a girl they will probably dump the back pack for a tote bag or worse soon!

At my son's school tote bags are banned, all must have a rucksack

Don't buy too much that could be wrong. So, if there is a decent, plain, rucksac in the house, use it, and go shopping after a couple of weeks when they know what they want. Or buy cheap plain black and replace at Christmas.
Buy enough pens, pencils rulers etc to have one set at home, and one set in the school bag - and don't take the school set out if the bag. Then it's never forgotten.
Have a stretchy elastic spring thing to clip house key to school bag. Never remove it.

Maybe school dependant, but at my kids school ds has a bogstandard plain black backpack and Dd has same make but in purple. Neither have pencil cases as apparently they're 'so yesterday mum' eye roll from teens, as apparently that's the whole point of blazer pockets! Non of the kids seem to give a fig about brands, but that could be our catchment which is quite arty.
I'd recommend going for something quite tough though, as I swear they must use them as some type os scooter giver how worn out they get!

Oh I like that! 😀

Ha ha how can pencil cases not be cool. Took me ages to decide and I loved them. Although that was about 100 years ago. Will bare it in mind. Thank you.

Yes love the double stationary idea. On the list. 👌

All great advice. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

My son's school only allows transparent pencil cases. This is pretty common I think. They say its so they can check the pupils have everything required at the beginning of class.

DD has a plain black Hype backpack. PE kit lives in a carrier or Primark tote bag.
Pencil cases are so yesterday and her blazer pockets are stuffed full. Although she has a plain black pencil case for her maths equipment.
She just takes food loose in her bag too - just a selection of boxes.
Coat is never worn. She has one as I feel she ought to have one, but she doesn’t wear it.
We have a good stock of stationery, paper and ink for the printer at home.

You're welcome. This time last year I was a nervous wreck so fully appreciate how it feels to send your first to secondary! Honestly the first year will fly by although the first half term I lived on my nerves and it felt like an eternity 😆

Teenagers hate coats. They don't want to carry multiple bags so don't bother with a PE bag...apparently its cooler to use a Lidl carrier bag and then you won't look too 'try hard'. The girls love pastel highlighters at my school. Here the favouritds are Eastpac or Vans backpacks or an Urban Outfitters tote for the girls. Black Nike backpacks for the boys.

Make sure you and your DC can access relevant apps. All homework at DD’s school is on Google classroom which you can monitor. I also have EduLink where I get messages, behaviour points, achievement points etc.

Don’t stew over any worries - contact the form tutor and ask. They would really rather know rather than worries at home.

Friendship groups do change - DD has several groups of friends. You don’t really get to know their parents which feels a bit weird when they want sleepovers, but I went with. (I can’t keep track - no not that Izzie, Izzie who sits with me in Maths and does X.)

Extra-curricular is a good way to meet new people and often older years too who help them navigate things.

My daughter has this backpack since year 7, and still going strong 3 years later! She has no wish to change it so hopefully will last until year 11
https://www.trekitt.co.uk/rucksacks/everyday-commuter-packs/fjallraven-vardag-25-black__44317

She wouldn’t be seen with a tote bag, nor would her friends.

she still loves a pencil case!

Don't buy Clarks boys shoes (unless they chuck in a complementary tube of Gorilla Glue).

If you are going to attach a house key to your DC's bag (as opposed to blazer pocket) and they travel by public transport, perhaps make sure that your home address isn't also somewhere in the bag, just a mobile phone number for contact, in case the bag is left on the bus / train / tube.

your post has really made me chuckle

A spare key in a lock box if he/she is letting themselves in.

Great idea. On the list. 😀

He had a key for 3 days before loosing it. My friend has just installed one. May have to follow suit.

No pencil cases here either. Be prepared for everything to live in the blazer pockets. Keep a stash of spare biros at home but not much other stationary seems to be used
Black rucksack preferably with Nike logo. Lots of white socks (again the Nike logo is preferred) Bag is just used for pe kit and lunch
I've been genuinely surprised how little has been needed