Secondary Considerations

[Luce]

Yes, luckily it was all fine. The school have sent really good emails about it all this morning and then a separate one sent directly to F, which is nice. They'll be doing transition via online videos etc, example lessons, tips from current year 7s, I think. Usually it would be trips to the school, special sports Day events before starting etc.

[Kleio]

That sounds lovely really. They said it was the first step and they’d be putting things on their Facebook weekly so we’ll see what comes. I don’t know what you are supposed to do if you don’t have Facebook though.

[Kleio]

OMG, Cube has to buy stationery for secondary school and I’m excited :loser: I bloody LOVE stationery.

As he, along with all the others, are missing out the usual end of year stuff I thought us going out shopping together for stuff would be a nice gift this week.

What do pre-teens/y7 need? Are branded stuff wanted? Would he be bullied for a fortnite pencil case etc? I’d love to let him loose in Smiggle but I’m guessing that’s too young for secondary.

He’s right in that in between stage! He still plays with Star Wars toys and superheroes but is quite grown up in so many other ways.

[Luce]

I'm am so excited about the stationery. We've had a YouTube video of everything we need and F is already trying to tell me he doesn't need most of it :verm: The list mostly is pens of all colours, scientific calculator, iPad and headphones.

Yours is a bit younger than mine I think but yeah, F would not countenance a Fortnite anything (even though he loves Fortnite) or anything with slogans/toy based. Basically it's going to have to be ugly Adidas shite. He does think of himself as a teenager, mind.

[Dáire]

iPad? :nerves: Ouch.

[Texaco Shirley]

Have they not given you a list? L’s school provide a subject by subject list of everything they need.

[Luce]

I could send you the link that F's school made but it might not be that helpful. Surely they've given you a proper list?

I'm pretty pleased about the iPads to be honest, Daire. You buy them through the school (obvs you can purchase them yourself, borrow one permanently from their stock or use another tablet you have)

[Texaco Shirley]

This is our list, plus a rough book. All books to be covered in clear plastic, not wallpaper etc as was the thing when I was at secondary.

[olive]

I haven’t heard the term rough book in forever. :))

I think Cube is older than T (T would be going into Y6) and he definitely wouldn’t have anything unless it was sports branded or a football team.

[Luce]

That is almost exactly the same as ours except there is luckily no Bible requirement for us and I think they've told us that headphones are ideally wireless but can be not. We're allowed biros and they should be in black, blue and green. They also need 'drama shoes'. Oh, I've just seen you've got that too, if that is what daps mean!

It wasn't wallpaper for books in my day, it was torn out pages from magazines like Bliss or J17. Good times.

[Texaco Shirley]

They also need 'drama shoes'. Oh, I've just seen you've got that too, if that is what daps mean!

Sorry, this is the West Country, they mean plimsolls :)) Although L tells me that most kids wear the non slip socks you get at trampoline parks instead.

[Luce]

They also need 'drama shoes'. Oh, I've just seen you've got that too, if that is what daps mean!

Sorry, this is the West Country, they mean plimsolls :)) Although L tells me that most kids wear the non slip socks you get at trampoline parks instead.

Oh, that's good, we've got about a million of those lying about.

[Dáire]

I could send you the link that F's school made but it might not be that helpful. Surely they've given you a proper list?

I'm pretty pleased about the iPads to be honest, Daire. You buy them through the school (obvs you can purchase them yourself, borrow one permanently from their stock or use another tablet you have)

Silly question, but what do they use them for? I'm wondering how a school that uses iPads often differs from one that doesn't. I know our school will use an online homework portal, for example, but I'm not sure it goes beyond that. I figure so much schoolwork is typing and that doesn't feel like something you'd want to type on an iPad.

I remember the news years ago saying some schools were going to be replacing all sheets and textbooks and materials with online resources but I don't think that ever really materialised.

Needing brushes sounds fancy Don't think we get that here. I didn't in school anyway. Art was sitting listening to lectures on Dali and doing pretty much no practical work unless you chose it for GCSE.

[Luce]

They use them for everything but I've no idea how that differs to other schools so can't comment. I think the majority of text books and sheets have been done away with, yes. Obviously not for everything. They seem super keen on being as progressive as possible. Yes, they do all the typing on there - it comes with a case but I think a lot use a Bluetooth keyboard attached if possible.

The thing that I'm particularly keen on though is how they get taught how to use it as an organisational tool with regards to their timetables, where they need to be, homework reminders etc. Similarly it gets used when teachers want to give merits or negatives or something.

[Texaco Shirley]

L has had an iPad for long enough that it’s a bit out of date but he never uses it for school. He has the school app for homework, merit points etc on his phone and since lockdown uses teams on his phone as well. He needs a laptop for some work. In normal times he borrows mine, during lockdown it got trickier as I was having to work while he was doing schoolwork but I’ve had mine upgraded and hung on to the old one as long as I could which made life easier. I think we will buy him his own for the next school year.

[Ruby]

What do pre-teens/y7 need? Are branded stuff wanted? Would he be bullied for a fortnite pencil case etc? I’d love to let him loose in Smiggle but I’m guessing that’s too young for secondary.

I would say they don't need branded and probably not a Fortnite or Smiggle pencil case. The SAM always has a novelty pencil case - once he had a banana and once an avocado. I think he has a shark this year? It doesn't seem to get him bullied but he is 100% geek anyway. Nobs has a galaxy print one.

I would get him a maths set, pens (BIC colour change are always popular), pencils, highlighters, ruler, glue stick, rubber & sharpener. They both had to have a specific scientific calculator that the school told us about.

I can't tell you how helpful it is when kids have their own red/green biros, highlighters and glue.

ETA : oh and Nobs has his own pencil crayons with the names of the colours on because he's colour-blind.

[Cerise]

Our school sent out the crappiest preparation list ever but I more or less bought what Ruby has put on that list. We had to add a couple of certain colour pens but he got them for cheap in the school stationery shop.

J has a plain pencil case and I refused to let him have Velcro shoes.

Love N’s pencils!

[Luce]

Found ours but assume your school will have a list in their transition info.

[Pippedydeadeye]

Squeak only brings her knowledge organiser home; all other books are kept at school. I was quite sad not to be covering books.

[Glint]

ETA : oh and Nobs has his own pencil crayons with the names of the colours on because he's colour-blind.

Oh! Could you please tell me about these as I am too lazy to get into a google loop? I am always asked is it this colour?

Back in days of yore, we had plain pencil cases that were drawn and scribbled over, is this now passé?