Do we send them off with a geometry set and calculator at start of y7?

[loveyouradvice]

Or does the teacher tell them which to get..... Just wondering whether to get ahead of time

The school usually gives an equipment list or publishes it on their website.

Same as above poster they get a list of which calculator and other equipment to use, got ours last year on Tesco club card in the back to school section.

I would wait until the school sends you a list of what they need. Our school sold a bundle of things for year 7 starters which included the calculator as it had to be a specific one, as well as many other things e.g. science goggles, locker padlock etc. Geometry kit was something to buy separately and they provided a list of stationery that they'd need.

Dont bother buying anything. Wait and see what the school ask for.

We are in Scotland but mine hasn’t needed a scientific calculator until S3.

Rymans often have sets in tins in their bargain baskets outside the shop for about £2. I buy them in bulk because it would appear there is something really satisfying about snapping a protractor and DD has been through on average 1 per term for the last 2 years.

School sells an overpriced bundle of everything required for the busy parents who don't have time to think.

Our school publishes a stationery list on their website alongside the uniform list.

Yes, wait for a list. But bulk buy protractors from Amazon and keep a stash of them hidden, I agree with a PP that they are always going missing/breaking.

Agree, wait for the list. There will likely be a "preferred" calculator and some schools sell stationary packs which work out cheaper (and easier) than sourcing everything yourself.

I agree that with PPs that it's worth bulk buying protractors; I think there must be a massive landfill dump in all schools that's full of missing and broken protractors.

Our school's bundle was cheaper than buying items individually yourself as they got savings from buying in bulk; so worth OP considering if her school offers one.

You don't need set squares.
But will need a pair of compasses.

But ten years later you will still be finding random set squares in any corners of your house where stationery lurks.

We got a list of exactly what to buy, from the name brand and type of calculator to the type of shoes allowed. We literally got a booklet with all sorts of shoes on and they were either marked with a tick or cross. I was so surprised 😳

Don’t the schools give the children a scientific calculator anymore? In Scotland this was tradition when you left primary school when I was a child and also when I worked in schools 10 years ago. The school gave each child one as a leaving gift.

My DCs left primary school (England) 9 and 11 years ago, neither was given a calculator. I had to buy my own in the 80s too (not till A levels in those days though IIRC). Still got mine and it still works

Don't waste money on Geometry sets, those flash looking Oxford tins if they still do them, I always told classes to avoid those and anything sold in a blister pack on the grounds of expense. At the time local shops would have protractors on cards near the till, no packaging and a fraction the cost of more commercial places. A year 7 is unikely to need more than a protractor, certainly not 2 types of set squares! A 360 protractor can be useful if they're not expensive.

Why would anyone need to snap a protractor, seems odd, I have a few in the drawer that must be 40+ years old!
I used to bulk buy stuff through school suppliers and sell them , the Bursar said I was breaking the law.

Have you not heard - schools have no money, and certainly not for ‘leaving gifts’.

Oh? It’s always been standard in Scotland. I’ll ask around friends to see if their kids are still getting them

I have no idea what’s so attractive about snapping protractors but my DS has had 3 in S1. Maybe a last stand rebellion?

Yes, buy them a set and then keep a set at home for emergency homework (don’t let that set out of your sight 😊)

also in an emergency you can print out a set square or protractor from google images. That saved our bacon a few times

Great tips @0ddsocks thankyou!!

Great advice all - thank you!

Can MN start a campaign to get rid of the set squares in stationery sets. Think of the volume of plastic that could be saved!

put it in the same place as the emergency spare school tie