stock up with plenty of enthusiasm for school this year, and all the challenges it will bring, whether it’s at the dining-room table or back in the classroom. (iStock) "If there’s one thing 2020 taught us, it’s to be wary of planning too far ahead," says Philippa Brinkmann, head of learning support at Rustenburg Girls Junior School in Cape Town. It’s a worrying wrinkle in what should be a time of excitement and anticipation, as children prepare for the 2021 academic year – now starting in February, due to Covid-19-linked postponements. First-term essentials "Buy only what’s absolutely essential for getting through the first term of 2021," says Brinkmann, who’s also mother to a 12-year-old schoolgoer.