Back to SCHOOL

All you need to know to prepare for the big day

FOR some parents, it feels like mere nanoseconds since their children broke up for the summer holiday; for others, it’s a lifetime. But whichever it is, there’s no getting away from the fact that most British children are going to be heading back to school next week.

And since there have been six whole weeks since they last put on a uniform or looked at a textbook, you can guarantee everything they need to return has been swept to the far corners of the house and simply forgotten about.

You’re probably putting off getting them ready for the term ahead, but don’t. Because it needn’t be a nightmare. Follow a few simple steps and going back to school will be as easy as, well, A B C…

First, do a sweep around the house, the garden and even the car for all their old kit (keeping a particular eye out for important letters from school containing vital information they haven’t given you). Once it’s all together, sort through it. Decide if you’re going to keep it, give it to charity, or bin it. Be ruthless: no one wants holey socks.

Now write down everything your child will need next term, from uniform to lunch boxes to stationery – why not use our handy checklist on the back page of this supplement? – tick off what you already have and, bingo, your back-to-school shopping list is done.

SECRET STASH

THIS is where the kids come in – persuade them to join you for the top-up shopping trip. If you let them choose their own pencil cases and other staples, it will make the thought of going back much more fun. Always buy a bit more than you need – pens and pencils have a habit of going walkies, so keep a secret stash somewhere in the house so that a few days or weeks into term there’s no major panic when they can’t find something. With uniform, look for

easy-iron clothes, buy trousers for younger girls (if school regulations allow) so they don’t struggle with tights through winter and choose short-sleeved shirts for smaller children, as they’re easier to put on.

And think about storage – if space is at a premium, consider boxes on rollers that go under the bed or hanging up a shoe organiser that can hold all the pens, rulers and maths equipment.

Think about bulk, too – it’s fine to have ring-binder folders at home, but they take up far too much space in a school bag, so opt for slimline plastic ones instead.

Talking of bags, a rucksack is better for the spine than shoulder bag. When you’re fitting it, make sure the straps are pulled as tight as possible and the bag up as high as possible. While it’s important to make sure it’s big enough to carry their lunch box and books, don’t buy too big – children should only carry about ten per cent of their body weight in a rucksack – at most, 15 per cent – or it could be damaging.

THE BIG DAY!

NOW you’ve got everything, it’s time to get ready for the big day. Cut down on the time it takes to sew in name tags by folding them in half and stitching just one end to the clothing. Alternatively, invest in a Sharpie Laundry Marker or similar and simply write their names on the existing labels.

If your children are starting school or going to a new one this September, do a dry run the day before they start to give you an idea how long it will take. Start sending them to bed and getting them up earlier, or they’ll be hard to get out of bed on the first day back. Get them to download family calendar apps on their smartphone – and on yours, too – like Wunderlist or Google Calendar, so you can all keep track of what everyone’s doing. The night before school starts, lay out their clothes, get their bag together and sort breakfast for the next day, because it’s likely to be crazy in the morning. Set clocks ten minutes fast – or tell the crew they have to leave ten minutes before they do – to make sure everyone’s out of the house in time. Then you can go to bed, safe in the knowledge everything is ready for the big day…