It has been a long time since some of us here in the Ballymena Today team went to school but that’s exactly why we have the Ballymena Today Youth team. This week they have already helped us with an article about Getting the Bus to school for the first time which you can read here. Now we are relying on them to help get you prepared for returning to school – here we go…

Back to school preparations – Ballymena

With less than one week left to go, last minute panic starts to set in. Last minute sales are wild (FYI Tesco’s stationary is half price at the minute). Everyone has their results and are ready to continue on with their plan. So I have written a checklist for anyone who is going back to school to help before going back to school and settle back into routine.

Back to school preparations - Ballymena

1/ By this point you should have most of the uniform bought. Check with the school so that you get the correct uniform.

As well as uniform you will need stationary – pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers, (scientific) calculators and if you are in secondary school a geometry set with compasses etc may also be required.

You also may need some other larger items such as schoolbags, lunchbox and pencil cases.

2/ Before you go back to school you could get in touch with your friends. Find out what they have got or if you can’t find a certain item you could ask them to see where they got theirs. Maybe arrange to meet them on the first day and so you can walk in together and find your class/locker.

As years go on you may make friends with people in new classes which is totally normal. Friends change as your classes move on. Other ways to make friends are after school clubs and activities. Try and find a couple of after school clubs that you might enjoy and benefit from.

3/ As well as this if you are entering your second year of either GCSE or A-level you may still need your notes from the previous year. You should organise these into folders so that when it comes to exam time they are easily found and read, as this will make studying for your exams much more efficient.

Keep your work up-to-date throughout the year and if you miss a class make sure to copy up so you don’t miss important information that you may need for this time.

So there you have it – Three easy tips which will help you to start the school year off on the correct foot. Please share this with any students who are returning to school in Ballymena next week.