It’s nearly time for the school gates to re-open – but before you set your alarm for silly-o’clock and head into the kitchen to pack lunch boxes, here’s a tick list of ways to get ready for the new school year… Good luck British Mums; we’ll be right there beside you on the school run…

Head to the uniform shop

Whether this involves queuing at the school shop or heading to a store to pick up your order, it’s only going to get busier as the school year approaches. So make it your mission to beat the crowds with an early visit. Failing that, put out a desperate plea to friends with children in older years at the school – their cast offs could save you the trouble altogether, not to mention the eye-watering prices (even if their shorts do fall down for the first few months of the school year – kids grow quickly, after all).

Buy school shoes

On that note, taking them to get their feet measured and shoes purchased is also worth doing as soon as possible to avoid long waits in shoe shops with a gang of bored kids surrounding you (oh, the horror). After all, there’s something about summer holidays that makes their feet grow a couple of sizes. We think it could be the fact they ask for a snack every 5 minutes throughout July in August. In fact, it’s definitely that – and we have nobody but ourselves to blame for letting it happen.

Order your nametags

Once you’ve made those purchases, it’s nothing short of exasperating to pick up said offspring from school to discover they have lost part of their uniform. Or their lunch bag. Or one of their shoes. So to avoid the agony of queuing up all over again to re-purchase the lost item, it’s worth labeling every belonging with at least one nametag or sticker (we recommend several, especially if you have a child with a fetish for colourful stickers).

Book a hair cut

Are the kids sporting overgrown, boho summer styles, which haven’t seen a hairbrush since the end of June? We know the score. And whilst they might fit in perfectly on the surf beaches of Cornwall, the searing temperatures of Dubai (and fact we have less time to chase them around with a hairbrush in the morning) mean it’s worth getting a haircut before they head back into the classroom. Stock up on stationary We know you understand us on this one, British Mums – there’s something about buying new stationary that prepares kids for a new year in the classroom. We remember the thrill of visiting WHSmiths in days gone buy to pick new pens, pencils, books, and erasers every summer holiday and packing it all together in a school bag ready for the start of term. In fact, while we’re there, we may just stock up on some for ourselves… It’s a new year for us too, after all.

Practice the early mornings

Let’s face it; it’s not going to be easy. After months of rolling around in our pyjamas with mugs of strong coffee until we have the energy to get showered and dressed (usually down to peer pressure from our children to actually go out and do something), we’re going to have to set our alarms for the small hours, get on the road, and deal the agony of school traffic before our mind has even kicked into gear. And that’s not to mention the grumpy children who run way when they catch sight of a uniform (not even strong coffee has a fix for that one). So start waking up a little earlier every day and it might not be as painful. Possibly. Maybe. There’s a chance, at least.

Read more:

The big debate – Nursery vs FS1 (Pre KG)

Choosing a nursery in Dubai

The early MBA programme that you’ll want for your teen

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