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How do you feel about back-to-school organisation? Are you a head-in-the-sand type of parent, someone who dreads the to-do list? Or are you a super-mum, someone who is keen to pre-empt the tsunami of admin by getting organised early?

No matter where you are on this continuum, from organised to head-in-the-sand, September is a fresh start and offers us the opportunity to begin again.

Whether it be physically decluttering your home or office space, or digitally checking school websites, it is worth checking in with yourself to see how you feel about the back-to-school admin.

Support yourself to plan ahead and have systems in place; that way you’ll be able to help yourself and your kids be calm when it comes to the start of term.

SEND and Executive Functioning

Much of our functioning happens automatically, with no conscious effort or thought. Breathing, for example, happens without our control thanks to our autonomic nervous system. Similarly, if we touch something that’s very hot, our autonomic nervous system kicks in and our hand moves fast, protecting us from getting burnt.

For many of our daily responsibilities, however, we require robust “executive functions” (EF) to be effective. Executive functions allow us to set goals and stay on task. They are involved in managing our emotions when homework is challenging and we are struggling.

For children with SEND, their EF functions may need a little extra support from parents and teachers.

The following areas help to improve executive functions:

Good sleep
Eating nutritious food regularly
Regular exercise
Having time limits and using planners to stay organised

Considering apps to get organised

Organisation apps are great for supporting your older child or teen to take responsibility for themselves and their to-do lists.

Todoist is a great tool to help you stay on track. It allows family members to share to-do lists, so each person can see what has been done and what is outstanding.

Common Sense Media is an organisation that protects young people and gives well-researched advice to families about how to help children safely navigate the online world. They offer sound advice on which apps are most helpful to support your child in getting organised.

Order Any New Uniform Before You Go Away on Holiday

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Most kids have a growth spurt over the holidays. While your kids may not be overly enthusiastic about trying on uniforms halfway through the summer, it will pay off to do so.

School supplies are often on sale, but by the end of August the sale disappears just when the rush for uniforms is on!

Some schools require you to schedule an appointment in the uniform shop, and you need to allow plenty of time to order new school items and for them to arrive. You may run out of time if you leave everything to the last minute.

This also applies to football boots, shoes, coats, mouthguards, water bottles, and lunch boxes.

Does your child need new stationery or a school planner? Has the zip gone in their backpack and it needs replacing?

Print Out Term Dates and Put Them Into Your Digital Calendar

When you know your child’s inset days and holiday dates you can plan ahead. If your children go to different schools it will be more important than ever to do this.

Once you have a map of the year ahead you can plan any support you might need for childcare if you are working on an inset day, for example.

Create a Space Where Each Item Lives

Image: Pinterest, schoolmum.net

Even in the most organised households, things can and do go missing.

It is really good to encourage your child to have a system where everything has a place. If their backpack doesn’t live somewhere, it will be dropped in random places and the mornings will resemble a big scramble to get out the door.

Think about a place for your child’s backpack to live. Encouraging them to choose a spot will give them a sense of agency and self-efficacy. Hanging it up on a hook or putting it in the same place regularly will help your child stay organised.

Encourage an Earlier Bedtime in the Run-Up to School

This is never a popular item on the list of things to do before the start of a new school term!

Whether we like it or not, school is synonymous with routines and early starts. Older kids might rally against going to bed early, but a good night’s sleep is key to good functioning.

If you know you are not a morning person, making sure you have everything ready the night before will alleviate that panicky feeling when you wake up.

First Day of School

If you are a parent preparing your child for their first day of school, here are some practical tips from West Sussex’s Getting Ready for School leaflet.

Happy organising!

Contact Bright Teach for educational support, or to discuss home tutoring:

📞 01273 033 243
📧 info@brightteach.com