The back-to-school wishlist that covers what students actually need

The first week of September, and the geometry teacher wants a compass, the chemistry teacher wants goggles and the laptop charger is still at the grandparents' house. A back-to-school list written in August, and shared with the relatives who keep asking what to give, spares you the Tuesday-evening run to the shop.

The basics: notebooks, folders and a bag that survives the year

Put a mix of notebooks on the list: ruled for languages, squared for maths, and one blank sketchbook. Oxford or Clairefontaine paper takes fountain pen ink without bleeding, which matters in the schools that still insist on one. Add a pack of mechanical pencils, three Stabilo Boss highlighters (three colours are plenty; nobody uses the fourth) and a proper eraser.

Ring binders with dividers keep the handouts from turning into a loose stack at the bottom of the bag, and a pencil case stops the small things from disappearing into the same place.

Put one good bag on the list and no cheap ones. An Eastpak Padded Pak'r is mid-range in price and comes with a 30-year warranty; the cheap bag from the supermarket loses a strap by February. The Fjällräven Kånken is the other one that lasts, if the child will carry it.

Tech that actually gets used

Check the school's device rules before anyone buys anything. Many secondary schools now prescribe a specific laptop or iPad through a school scheme, and a different model bought by an uncle in July becomes an expensive paperweight. If the school leaves it open, a basic laptop beats a tablet from about age 14: essays and spreadsheets are simply easier with a keyboard.

Around the device, three things earn their place: a pair of over-ear headphones for online classes and the library (a Sony WH-CH520 is affordable), a sleeve or case, and a spare charger that lives at school. A USB stick is no longer needed; a free cloud account with 15 GB holds every essay of a school career.

For the calculator, an inexpensive Casio fx-82 covers maths and science until the last years of secondary school. Only buy a graphing model if the syllabus names it, because an expensive calculator bought in advance is the most common wasted purchase on these lists.

Small things that make the day easier

A water bottle that does not leak in the bag (a Chilly's or a plain Sigg, both reasonably priced) and a lunch box with a real seal do more for a long school day than any gadget. Tissues, a small hand gel and a pack of plasters live in the front pocket all year.

A hoodie in the bag for the classroom where the heating is off in October. Comfortable shoes for the child who walks between buildings.

Skip the travel pillow for library sessions. It never leaves the house.

What changes by subject and age

Generic lists miss the subject gear, and the subject gear is what gets forgotten. Art needs brushes, a set of Faber-Castell coloured pencils and a proper sketchbook. Science needs a lab notebook and safety goggles. Music needs a folder and a metronome app; the stand can wait.

Primary school children need glue sticks, safe scissors and a first fountain pen if the school teaches with one; the Pelikan Pelikano or the Lamy abc are the two made for that. In secondary school it becomes a separate binder per subject and a paper planner, because the phone planner is the one that gets ignored. For a student moving into a first room, the list changes completely: a desk lamp, a decent chair, a kettle and a set of bedding that fits the room's mattress, which is often not the size at home.

Shopping without overspending

Empty last year's bag onto the kitchen table before buying anything. Half the pens still write and the ruler has not changed. Shop-brand paper and pens are as good as the branded ones; the bag, the headphones and the calculator are where the brand matters, and that is where the list should point the relatives.

Do not buy the whole list before the first day. Teachers hand out their real requirements in the first week, and the geometry set bought in July is rarely the one the teacher wants.

Put the whole thing on one list, share it with the grandparents and the godmother, and let them pick the bag or the headphones as the September present. You can create a birthday wishlist and use it for the school year just as well.