For parents in Ireland
Real, complete answers for families whose child is starting primary school for the first time, or moving to a new one.
Read the articles
Grouped by the part of the process you are in. Every summary gives you the answer straight away, and the full piece has the detail when you want it.
What to buy, what to skip, and what August is actually going to be like. 🎒
Before the first day
Five things: a small bag, a lunch (depending on your school's hot meals status), a labelled bottle, spare clothes in a plastic bag, and a coat. That's it. The giant back-to-school display in the shop is not your friend, and most of it comes straight home again. 🎒
Before the first day
It's a short day, usually finishing somewhere around 1.40pm, and a lot of it is play, which is the actual curriculum and not the teacher having a lie-down. Many schools stagger the first week too, so check that letter before you book anything. ⏰
Before the first day
Only the crested jumper or top usually has to come from the school supplier. Trousers, skirts, socks, shirts and shoes can be bought anywhere, often cheaper. Check the secondhand scheme before you buy new, label everything that comes off, and don't worry if the first week is tracksuit-only. 👟
Goodbyes, tears (theirs and yours), and the mornings that go sideways. 💛
The emotional stuff
Short, warm, identical goodbye, then leave and don't come back. Long goodbyes and reappearing at the railings both make tomorrow harder. Most children are grand within minutes of you being out of sight, and then you cry in the car. 🚗
The emotional stuff
Facts beat reassurance. 'You'll love it!' does very little; knowing where the toilet is does loads. Answer the specific unknowns, then stop bringing school up fourteen times a day (guilty). 🚻
The emotional stuff
Hand over, don't negotiate, and don't take them home. Then ring the school that same day and agree one small change for tomorrow. Refusal sorted out in the first week rarely turns into a pattern. 🚪
Lunches, labels, jumpers that vanish, and two children finishing at different times. 🧦
Uniforms & logistics
Crested stuff from the school supplier, everything else from the supermarket. Two of anything worn daily. Elastic waists and velcro shoes, because laces at 8.40am are a form of punishment. Label every removable item, especially jumpers. 👟
Uniforms & logistics
Get the staggered times in writing, protect the older child's routine, and cover the gap with after-school care or a lift share. Also: your older child may not want to be followed around the yard by a small crying person. Ask them. 🚸
The first weeks, and how to tell it's going grand even when they tell you nothing. ☀️
Settling in
They name one child, they know the routine, they eat something at some point, and mornings get slightly easier week by week. Wrecked, cranky and 'I can't remember what I did' are all normal, not warning signs. ☀️