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Back-to-School Tips

by Netmums.com – 5th September 2012
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Here's a handy checklist of the things you are likely to need (courtesy of Netmums.com and compiled by a panel of mums, of course) – and some extra tips to make life easier. Whether you're packing your child off to school for the first time or have been through the beginning of term many times we hope these tips take away some of the stress!

Uniform checklist

  • 4 shirts or polo shirts
  • Boys – 2 pairs of trousers, 1 pair shorts
  • Belt if needed
  • Girls – 2 pinafores / skirts and 1 pair trousers
  • Jumpers – 1 with a logo on and 1 plain for spare (if children are young, you might want an extra one)
  • Shoes
  • Socks
  • Lightweight waterproof coat (foldable)
  • Coat
  • Summer hat
  • Woolly hat and gloves

For some schools you might also need...

  • Tie
  • Blazer
  • Fleece
  • Dinner tabard
  • Painting tabard

PE checklist

  • Gym bag
  • Plimsolls
  • Shorts
  • T-shirt (check your uniform guide for colours)
  • Pair of socks (especially for girls who might be wearing tights that day)
  • Swimming kit or other sports kit (in some schools)

Extras checklist

  • Name labels
  • Book bag (usually sold by the school)
  • Lunch box or bag
  • Small water bottle for lunch
  • Water bottle for daytime (schools may provide this and some might not use them yet)
  • Pencil case with pencil, pen (school might specify the type), coloured crayons, ruler, pencil sharpener, rubber
  • Music bag / musical instruments eg recorder, violin
  • Rucksack to carry it all in!

Tips on clothing

Easy-iron trousers and shirts work well, so they save on the amount of ironing each weekend!

Many schools allow children to wear polo shirts. If your child needs to wear a proper shirt, the short sleeved ones can be easier for little children to get on and off.

If you have a choice of white or coloured polo shirts, and are not too fanatical about washing, the coloured ones look cleaner for longer!

Younger boys sometimes like to wear shorts (if the weather is still warm enough). If you can't find any to buy, you could cut down an outgrown pair of trousers and hem them.

For younger girls, on winter days when they have PE, giving them trousers to wear avoids the problem of them trying to put their tights on without assistance!

Find out if your school runs a 'swap shop' or second hand sales – a great way to pick up cheaper clothing.

If you want to use proper name labels, it's worth ordering them early on.
Find out more about labelling here

If you can't be bothered with sewing, or find that iron-on ones are temperamental, then just use a marker pen on the inside of the clothing. Biro will usually work for a while but tends to wash out. Laundry markers or even CD markers work well.

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