Classroom
A classroom supply checklist that starts from the number of pupils
Counts worked out per head, so nothing runs short in week three and nothing sits in a cupboard for a decade.
Ordering for a classroom fails in two directions. Order per unit and you spend the first month of term chasing replacements for things that were always going to run out. Order by guesswork and you inherit a cupboard containing four hundred of something nobody has used since 2019.
Both are avoidable by starting from the roll number and a consumption rate. Here is the arithmetic for the things that actually get consumed.
The rule of thumb per pupil
| Item | Per pupil, per year | Class of 30 needs |
|---|---|---|
| Dry-erase board erasers | 0.8 (they vanish) | 24 |
| Dry-erase spots or dots | 1 each, replaced termly | 24–50 |
| Paint cups with lids | 0.4 (shared) | 12 |
| Lanyards for trips and badges | 0.8 | 24 |
| Binder clips, small | 1.3 | 40 |
| Bulletin board border | n/a, measured in rolls | 4–6 rolls |
The pattern in that right-hand column is why classroom packs come in 24s, 40s and 50s rather than in dozens. They are sized to a room, with the small margin that a room always needs.
Consumables against durables
The distinction decides how much margin to add. Erasers, paint cups and dots are consumables: they get lost, dropped, and taken home in a pocket. Add twenty-five per cent to whatever the headcount suggests and you will not think about them again until next year.
Bulletin boards, cork panels and holders are durables. Buy the number of surfaces you have, add nothing, and expect them to outlast several cohorts. Applying consumable margins to durables is how cupboards fill up.
Buying on a school timetable
Term dates make the reorder cycle obvious. Most rooms need a top-up at the start of the autumn term and a smaller one after Christmas, and almost nothing between. Ordering twice rather than six times cuts both the admin and the per-piece cost.
Where a purchase order and tax exemption are involved, the retail partner's business programme handles both, which is usually simpler than an invoice from a small supplier.
A worked example
A class of 28, ordering for a full year, with normal margins:
- Erasers: 28 × 0.8 × 1.25 = 28, so a 24-pack plus spares from last year, or a 50-pack for two years.
- Dry-erase spots: one per pupil replaced each term, which is 84 over the year, so a 24-pack per term.
- Paint cups: shared between pairs, so 14 plus margin, which a 12-pack covers if the class shares in threes.
- Lanyards: 28 × 0.8 = 23, so one 24-count pack.
Run your own numbers through the pack size calculator, or browse the classroom section where the count sits on every card.