Back to School and Starting Secondary

My son has now been at secondary school for a week so we are both getting into routines and learning the system at this school:

Timetable

He came home with his 2 week timetable stuck into his planner that he must show me every day so I can check his homework:

I have written this up onto a chalkboard and hung it on the stairs so that we can both see what lessons he has each day:

Homework

All his homework gets recorded into his planner and I have to sign each week to say that he has done it. I mad sure that he has a nice cleared spot to do his homework on the table:

As you can see from the above much of the current homework is about covering his subject books. This has involved quite a bit of work from me to print off the required pictures at the right size! He has had more formal homework which he has done on his own.

Organisation

At a suggestion from another parent, who was advised by their son's new school, I bought my son a filing system to keep his work in and to enable him to rotate books etc for homework. He also has wallets to safely carry work to and from school in (not seen these used properly just yet!).

He is eating in the canteen rather than taking a packed lunch which eases some of the pressure off me in the mornings. I do have to remember to keep his account topped up with enough funds.

I am still finding myself nagging him in the morning to make that he checks he has got everything that he needs. I don't tell him what he needs just ensure that he actually does look! I am hoping that I will have to nag less as time goes on - not holding my breath though... The one morning so far that I have left for work before he left for school he forgot to have breakfast. Hopefully he won't make that mistake again...

He has enough school shirts so that I don't have to panic wash and dry them every night which makes life easier for me. His school trousers are so far lasting for several days without looking grubby so that's good too.

Have you got any other suggestions to help him get used to being a student at secondary school?