Back-to-School Preparation Guide: Uniform, Forms and the First Weeks

Before term starts

1. Check the first day back. Many schools start with one or more INSET days, so pupils may return a day or two after staff. Reception children often start later, sometimes part-time for the first week or two.
2. Try on last year’s uniform and shoes before the last week of the holidays, when shops get busy.
3. Label everything: jumpers, coats, PE kit, water bottles and lunch boxes. Iron-on or stick-on labels save a great deal of lost property.
4. Check the PE kit list, and which days PE is on, which may have changed with the new class.
5. Make sure book bags, reading records and any equipment the school asks for are ready.
6. Put the new school year’s term dates in the calendar: half terms, INSET days and the last day of each term.

The forms that come home in September

Most schools send home a batch of forms or online requests at the start of the year. They matter, because the school relies on them all year:

• A data collection sheet to check contact details, emergency contacts and who can collect your child.
• Medical information, allergies and any medication the school holds.
• Consents, for example for photographs, local walks and the use of online learning platforms.
• Lunch choices, or a reminder to top up a lunch balance.
• Club and activity sign-ups, which often fill quickly.
• An introduction from the new teacher with key information: PE days, homework, reading and how to get in touch.

Do these in the first week, even if the deadline is later. An out-of-date phone number on an emergency contact form is the kind of mistake nobody notices until it matters.

Setting up a routine

The first few weeks set the pattern for the year. A simple routine helps everyone:

• Pack bags the night before, with PE kit on the right days.
• Have a set place for book bags, letters and things that need signing.
• Agree on a time for reading and homework that fits your family’s evenings.
• Do a short weekly plan on Sunday for the week ahead.
• Bring bedtimes back towards school time a few days before term starts, not the night before.

Starting a new school

For children starting Reception, moving from infant to junior school, or starting secondary school, there is more to take in: a new building, new routines, new people and, at secondary school, a timetable and a lot more independence. Most schools run transition visits and information evenings before or at the start of term. Go if you can, and write down the practical details: drop-off and pick-up arrangements, what to do if your child is ill, and how the school communicates with parents.

Secondary schools often use several apps alongside email, for homework, behaviour, payments and messages. Find out which ones your child’s school uses and set them up early.

Where September goes wrong

The sheer volume is the problem. In the first fortnight a family might receive a welcome letter, a PE day change, a club booking link that closes in two days, a lunch menu, a request for a photo consent form, a parents’ information evening date and a newsletter, for each child. It is easy to miss the club booking or the evening meeting simply because it arrived the same day as five other emails.

The first half term

The first six or seven weeks of the year are a big adjustment, especially in a new class or a new school. Tiredness is normal, and so is a little upset in the first few weeks. Things that help:

• Keep after-school plans light for the first couple of weeks.
• Ask specific questions about the day, such as "who did you sit with at lunch?", rather than "how was school?".
• Read the teacher’s welcome letter carefully: it usually covers PE days, homework and reading expectations for the year.
• If something seems wrong after the first few weeks, such as a child who is still very unhappy or struggling with friendships, talk to the class teacher early rather than waiting for parents’ evening.

Getting to know the new teacher

Most schools hold a short "meet the teacher" session or information evening in September. It is worth going: you will hear how the class works, what the year covers and the best way to get in touch. Note down the teacher’s preferred contact route, whether email, a parent app or a note in the reading record, and use it for small things before they become big ones.

How Peakly helps

Setting up Peakly at the start of the year means the September rush is read for you. You add your children, their schools and year groups, and the school and club addresses that email you. From then on, each email with something in it for you becomes a short WhatsApp message, and the dates go into your Google or Outlook calendar.

Peakly also moves your children up a year group automatically when the new school year starts, so a Year 3 child becomes a Year 4 child in September without you changing anything. Where Peakly has your school’s term dates, the half terms, INSET days and early finishes for the year are added to your calendar too.