Ok, so the dust has settled and we've responded to both the council and the school email about accepting the place.
I know it's a bit early, but to ease pressure on the bank balance, I'd like to spread out the purchase of the uniform and other supplies as much as possible. I've had a look at the information on the website but I'm wondering if any parents of current DRHS students can give me any more information regarding the non-essentials. How strict are they about the colour of the coat etc? Do any of the girls ever wear a jumper? I don't want to waste money if it's not necessary Do they state when the girls can change from Winter to Summer uniform?
As far as the other bits are concerned (art supplies, language dictionaries etc) should I just wait until they're actually required, or will she need them from the start of the year? Obviously I'm not planning on buying anything just yet, but I'd like to have a reasonable idea of what to expect and I'd rather not leave it all until after the meeting in June.

I’d start with winter uniform. I think summer uniform is permitted much later - April and you can manage without. They do wear jumpers but not all of them. They are quite strict on uniform and I’d advise a dark coat. It’s really hard sometimes finding blue or black but I wouldn’t go in silver or pink! White non marking trainers are a must. The equipment that they need will be given as a list and I would get that - DRHS is quite cheeky about all the extras but that really is a result of poor secondary funding in Glos. You should purchase the required calculator too but they will tell you.

It’s quite strict at times but then that’s what we sign up for.

NAME EVERYTHING!!! Obvs. They won’t have lockers and my daughter still lost her coat for a term!

I can add a couple of things:
Leggings for PE can only be worn with skort on top. Due to covid, there is currently no tie policy, not sure if this will change next year.
Black coat was a mistake - lots of them in the lost property, all very similar. Next time we will opt for something that can be easier to identify and I am told there is a bit of variety in colours.
I would recommend choosing delivery to the shop rather than home address if you need to order any uniform from the website. Last year there was a delay with blazers and they wouldn't split the order to send the items in stock, because of home delivery. I've spent a lot of time on the phone to make sure DD had some uniform for the first day.
Keep the tags on the uniform. We had the fitting in early July, by the time we got it at the end of August/early September DD had grown quite a bit and we had to exchange skirt and trousers.

And yes, name everything.

Absolutely name everything. My DD managed to lose her entire PE kit (in the sports bag) for about 3 weeks...so now the pe kit bag is embroidered with her name across the top.

My DD in yr9 is wearing a jumper at the moment, got it from M&S.

Thanks all, that's really helpful. I'm not going to get anything just yet but it's good to know what's needed and what's not.
I was hoping that she could use one of the calculators that we have at home (either scientific or not) but never mind!
I'm surprised that they don't have lockers. I'm sure I read on the website that they should all use their lockers rather than carry everything around all day. Maybe that's for the older years.
I learned the lesson about naming everything a few years ago when she came home with one shoe and one dap and yes, they were already named!
Thanks again, all.

We too have a few scientific calculators but the Maths Dept like them to have a limited choice so they know how they operate. Y7 may have lockers, but I’m sure we had an email telling us they were being removed and my daughter can’t use one now - they also encourage laptops at the mo. Go figure! Big mistake in my opinion as lugging heavy bags is a right pain. I know the students at my school rely on them!

I think quite a lot of schools are encouraging Chromebooks which are very light and easier to carry around

The schools often sell the calculator they want them to use (& much cheaper than in the shops), so it's worth asking.

Ok, guess which child got a tablet for Christmas?! We were contemplating a Chromebook or laptop, but decided against it. Looks like she may end up with both! We will await guidance from the school on that one... and the calculator.