Back-to-School Buying That Lasts Past October

Every year the same items come back to the counter in November, broken or lost. Some of that is unavoidable. Some of it is a predictable consequence of what was bought in August.

Spend on the things used every day

The rule that holds up: spend on items used daily and carried daily, save on items used occasionally or kept at home.

Worth spending on

• The calculator. Used in every lesson for years, and the wrong model costs a term of confusion. Buy the model the class uses.
• The bag. Carries the weight of everything else. Seams and zips are what fail; look at the stitching at the strap joins.
• A hard case for the calculator. Inexpensive, and it prevents the most common cause of replacement.
• A geometry set with a metal compass. Plastic compasses slip mid-arc and are the reason diagrams get redrawn.

Not worth spending on

• Branded stationery that does the same job as unbranded.
• Large quantities of anything bought before the subject teacher has issued a list.
• Elaborate pencil cases, which mostly add weight.

Label everything, properly

A name written on the calculator case comes off. A name written on the calculator itself, under the slide case, does not. The single most recovered item at any school office is an unlabelled calculator, and the single most replaced item is an unlabelled calculator that was never handed in.

Also record the model number and, if there is one, the serial number. It makes a lost-property claim possible.

Buy the calculator first, not last

Two reasons. Stock of specific models tightens through August, and the student needs time with it before it is used under pressure. A calculator bought in the first week of term and used for homework all autumn is a familiar tool by the time it matters.

Check the list against the year group

Requirements change between year groups. A calculator that was correct in one year may be insufficient the next — a two-line model is fine until the syllabus reaches statistics with data sets, at which point entering them becomes the bottleneck.

If a list says “scientific calculator” without a model, ask the school. It usually means a specific one.

Spares that are actually worth having

• Batteries for the calculator, matched to the model. Check whether it takes a coin cell or AAA before buying spares.
• A second set of pens. Not five sets.
• A spare calculator case, if the original is a slide-on type that gets lost separately from the machine.

Do not buy the exam-day items on exam day

Clear pencil cases, permitted rulers and approved calculators are the things people buy in a hurry in May, at which point stock is unpredictable. If the school has published requirements, buy them at the start of the year.

Storage at home

A defined place for the calculator at home — a drawer, a shelf, a box — is worth more than any amount of labelling. Most losses happen between the bag and the bedroom, not at school.

Ask before you buy

If you have a school list and are not sure which model matches it, bring it in or email it. We would rather check the model number than have you return the wrong one.

See the full calculator range, or read our returns policy before ordering if you are buying ahead of a confirmed list.