is this bag childish for year 7

Yes, that has blown my mind.

My DDs did PE three times a week at secondary and their PE kits were absolutely filthy after one lesson. So much so that they took an extra top and shorts if they were doing an after school sport.

One of mine did use her blazer as a pencil case though. But still had to bring lunch and books.

It's not big enough for everything he'll need to carry.

He'll need one like his brother's if he won't accept a plain one.

Would something like this from Next be a happy medium? It’s not boring at least. Next do quite a few options like this.

I’m afraid a character design for secondary school is a very bad idea.

i dont think a keyring is a good idea incase the other children touch it either just out of curiosity or for a reaction from ds and i could imagine older children tugging it

OP, I know you're incredibly worried about your DS and I completely understand why; it's worrying enough for parents when any kid starts secondary school but it must be even harder when you know there are additional things that might be challenging.

But... you cannot legislate for every single tiny thing. It's possible someone might tug at his key-ring, yes. But it's also possible someone might tug at his tie (or whatever, I know not all uniforms have a tie), or the hood of his coat, or anything else. I think if you really do want to reduce the chances of him being bullied, then focus on things like the bag that will be very immediately noticeable, rather than trying to eliminate every single possible thing that might attract attention.

Although I don't think it's a great idea to let him start secondary school with a backpack meant for a much younger child, I do also agree with your older son that if kids want to bully someone, they will find something. There was a kid in my class who got bullied for the type of bread she had for her sandwiches, so while it's a good idea not to make him a sitting target, you are never going to eliminate every possibility.

Jurassic world is better than Sonic but even still... They are going to eat him alive with that Sonic bag though.

It does need to be bigger too, big enough to fit a ring binder and his lunch/water/coat etc.

Yes I really liked her mainstream school (unfortunately it just wasn't suitable for her so she switched to the SEN school).
It was a very friendly school and fancy backpacks or pin badges on blazers were very popular.
I wish more schools had that vibe.

he'll be known as Sonic for the next 5 years at school if he takes that bag! Or you might as well stick a sign on his head that says "bully me".

My kids are year 7 and 8. My daughter wanted a pink bag for secondary school, settled on a pink Nike one.
I hate to say it but no I would deter him from that one. Its very young and also too small.

He will get mercilessly bullied for this. Just get a plain black one. My DN has a bit of a stand out bag and she’s got some shit for it but she just doesn’t seem to care. If your son is sensitive do not let him do this.

I was talking more generally - you'd already made it clear that your daughter's school was different.

Could you compromise with a sports bag (it really needs to be much larger) with a couple of keyrings attached? If he had a couple of Spielberg ones he could say he's a movie fan rather then into Sonic and Dinosaurs. Some are also in colours. My daughter didn't want plain black but went for a chalky blue Adidas bag.

He will definitely be bullied for those bags. My YR4 child will no longer take that style to school due to bullies.

I would also agree with others, everything in one bag. My daughter has a separate lunch bag and p.e. bag that go in her backpack. All the kids I know that carry seperate bags have lost one at one time or another.

theres nothing in the policy about a bag its just “appropriate bag to carry equipment and books

These guidelines indicate the bags are too small

Could you tell him that he needs a bag he doesn’t really care about. These bags will be dumped and shoved and kicked about so whilst he likes those bags. They just aren’t practical.

If he doesn't want plain black, would a nike/Adidas bag in a different colour be a compromise. I've seen ones in blue/green/navy.

My autistic dd2 is starting hight school in September, We've had some really explicit conversations about how her life will be easier if she broadly fits in with her peers. She's been able to accept that.

I'd be clear that the bags your ds has chosen aren't appropriate. You can sympathise about how stupid social rules are, but you still need to adhere to them.

Before dd1 started high school I did a full survey on mn about what brands of coat and bag were acceptable to other dc her age. It worked pretty well.

Don't fpcus on the design focus on the size. He needs a much bigger bag and they don;t comein children's designs.

My son started secondary in velcro shoes. He was able to do his laces but his feet were still so small we couldn't find school shoes that laced up.

If it helps ease your worries at all, I do think bullying in school has changed a lot since we were kids.

When I was in comp, a backpack like either of the above would definitely have gotten you labelled as weird, and you'd get picked on for it.

Now, a backpack like that will still get him noticed by other kids, and labelled as "different", but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll get bullied for it. It's a lot less socially acceptable among teenagers to pick on the "different" kids any more.

DD went to quite a rough comprehensive. We don't live in the nicest area. But even here, the kids with autism tend to get "adopted" by the older kids, who make it clear it's not acceptable to laugh at them.

Bullying still exists, but it's less obvious. It's not about picking on the clear outsider so much, that's not considered acceptable. Instead, they end up bullying someone in-group instead. They get that punching down is wrong, so they punch across, or even up instead. It seems far more common these days to get bullied because you're the rich kid, or because you said something stupid and your former friends turn on you.

Obviously this is just anecdotal, but a jurassic park bag isn't the target it used to be. The targets are a lot more subtle than they used to be,

OP you need to get a grip here for your kids sake. Don't send him with a Jurassic Park bag with 'Roar' written all over it, its just cruel.

Show him 3 suitable large bags to pick from, and tell him to get one. He doesn't have to like it.

You need to get him to look at adult sized bags. Those 2 examples will get ruined quickly with all the books and paraphernalia they have to keep in thrm

Plain black back pack with enough room to fit the equivalent of 2 full lever arch files, lunch box and pe kit with trainers etc

Dont show him unsuitable stuff to choose from

We drive a long road that has a school quite a bit up it. Amongst the sea of black bags as the kids were walking home, we noticed the one that stood out immediately. A child just starting had a Pickle Rick bag from Rick and Morty. Unfortunately, as others have said, secondary school is brutal and kids will notice either of those bags.
Such a shame parents don't teach some kids to be civil at the least and some kids who maybe were brought up well might still follow along with their peers.

Agree with pp before mine, if possible, a plain bag with a nod to his interests will fare alot better.

Sonic and jurassic park key rings fixed to the zip pulls, on a black adidas or nike bag, is gonna be best, he will possibly get hassle otherwise. sad to say.

It will definitely depend on the school. I work in a secondary girls and I’d say most students have something plain or popular. The ones who don’t tend to change backpacks soon after starting. If he is resilient and wouldn’t care what other kids say then he should get one he likes but kids can be mean, sad as it is!

Yes but in my daughters case the boy was admiring the bag - not taking the piss out of it.

This is a good point - parents are always worried about the new kids that will be at the school but the kids they went to primary school with can be just as bad as the new ones.

Oh no definitely not. Plain black I’d say and fairly large. Mountain warehouse, Jan sport etc….