Back to School Checklist for International School Families in Switzerland

Six to eight weeks before term

Confirm your child's class, form group and any timetable details with the school. If your child is new, make sure all enrolment paperwork is complete and that admissions has everything they need from you.

If your child has any medical needs, dietary requirements or learning support needs, contact the school now rather than in the first week of term. Early communication means the right provisions are in place from day one.

Book the school bus if you need it. LCIS runs a bus service covering the main residential areas used by international families. Routes and booking details are available through the admissions team.

Four weeks before term

School uniform: at LCIS, the uniform supplier is Trutex and the school code is LEA000107TF. Order early. Uniform deliveries in August can have delays, and a child who arrives in the first week without the right kit is more likely to feel out of place among their peers.

School supplies: check any stationery lists provided by the school and buy in good time. Many families find this easier done in July than in the last week of August when shops are busy.

Update your contact details with the school. If you have moved house, changed phone numbers or changed your work situation over the summer, make sure the school has current information before term starts.

Two weeks before term

Gradually shift your child’s bedtime back toward term-time hours. A child who has been sleeping until 10am through the summer needs two weeks, not two days, to adjust to an early alarm. Start bringing wake times forward by fifteen to twenty minutes every few days.

Re-establish a reading habit if it has lapsed. Even ten minutes of daily reading in the fortnight before school restarts helps children shift back into a learning mindset.

Talk to your child about what they are looking forward to. For most children, the anticipation of seeing friends again outweighs any anxiety about returning to school. Focusing on the positive aspects of going back helps to start the school year on the right foot.

The week before term

Check the school calendar and note key dates for the first half-term: open evenings, sports fixtures, music concerts, any dates you need to keep free. At LCIS, the Family Portal is the central hub for all school communications and calendar updates. Make sure you are set up and logged in before term starts.

Prepare school bags and lunch arrangements in advance. If your child is having school lunches at LCIS, our chef Robert oversees a freshly prepared menu each day. If your child is bringing a packed lunch, establish the routine a few days before term so it is not a last-minute scramble on the first morning.

Do a trial run of the morning routine. Wake up at term-time hours, get dressed, have breakfast, and time how long it takes to get to school. First-day lateness is stressful for children and parents alike.

The night before

Pack the school bag. Lay out the uniform. Make sure shoes are clean. Have a plan for breakfast. These sound like small details, but they make a measurable difference to how the first morning feels.

Keep the evening calm. Skip the flurry of last-minute preparations in order to enjoy a relaxed first-day-eve. Early bed, familiar food, a conversation about something to look forward to tomorrow. That’s it.

If your child is new to LCIS

LCIS takes care to welcome new families into the community. From your first contact with our admissions team through to your child's first day, our aim is to make the transition as smooth as possible for the whole family.

New families receive an onboarding guide covering everything from the uniform code and lunch arrangements to the Family Portal and the BYOD device policy for Secondary students. If you have questions before term starts, the admissions team is available and happy to help.