Sports day and the residential: what to bring
The summer term's two big kit lists. Sports day essentials, the residential packing list that schools send and the things it leaves out, and the meeting you should not miss.
By The AskBobbie team · 29 September 20262 min read
The summer term has two kit lists that arrive as letters and are read at 10pm the night before. Here they are in advance.
Sports day
Usually needed: a hat, sun cream applied before school (most schools will not apply it), a named water bottle, trainers, PE kit, and in many schools a T-shirt in the colour of the child's house or team. Check the letter for the colour and for whether children come to school in kit.
For you: a folding chair or a blanket, water, a hat, and the reserve date in the calendar in case of rain. Many schools do infants in the morning and juniors in the afternoon; the letter says which.
Often forgotten: the T-shirt colour (buy a plain one early; the shops sell out in June), and that some schools ask parents not to bring dogs or younger siblings onto the field.
The residential
The meeting. Six to eight weeks before, the school holds a parents' meeting about the trip: the itinerary, the kit list, medicines, the rules. Go. It answers the questions you have not thought of yet, and the kit list is handed out there.
The kit list, roughly: a sleeping bag or bedding (check which), a pillow, pyjamas, clothes for every day plus one, underwear and socks for every day plus two, old trainers that can get wet, wellies, a waterproof coat and trousers, a warm jumper, a towel, wash things, a torch, a named water bottle, a small bag for the day, and a bin bag for wet things.
What the list forgets: a second pair of shoes that can get wet (they will), plastic bags to bring wet things home, a spare warm layer, everything named including the sleeping bag, and a note inside the case with what should come home.
Medicines go to the school in the original box with the pharmacy label, with a form. Nothing goes in the case.
Phones stay at home. The school gives you an emergency number and usually posts updates.
Money. Some trips allow a small amount for the gift shop; the letter says how much. Send it in a named purse in an envelope.
Getting it into the calendar
The residential arrives as a payment schedule, a meeting, a kit list and a departure time, over several letters. Forward each to Bobbie and they become one trip with its tasks underneath; or write them on one page and stick it on the fridge in May.
Further reading
Questions people ask
- When is sports day?
- June or early July, school's choice, with a reserve date for rain. The newsletter has both; put both in the calendar.
- How much does a residential cost?
- Typically £150 to £400 for two to four nights in Years 4 to 6, paid in instalments through ParentPay over several months. The school can charge for board and lodging; the rest is a voluntary contribution, and schools have hardship funds. Ask the office quietly if the cost is a problem.
- Can my child take a phone on the residential?
- Almost never. Schools ban them, and the centre has no signal anyway. The school will give you a number for emergencies and usually posts updates on ClassDojo or the website.