is this bag childish for year 7

Sadly I’d also encourage a more neutral choice. It shouldn’t be the case and might depend on the school but it will probably make him more of a target for teasing and bullying especially at first. It’s rubbish but it’s the reality. You could get him something else and he could personalise it by adding a sonic or Jurassic park keychain or patch which will be much less noticeable and more socially acceptable. Do you think he could get on board with this?

The size depends on the school, my dc’s school says bags have to be at least a4 sized, so not huge. Their books are kept in classrooms a lot of the time they just have to carry stationery, planner water bottle, possibly lunch and pe kit once a week. There are days where dc won’t even take a bag to school and cram whatever stationery they need in their blazer pockets (I’d rather they just take a bag but at least it has its uses).

I would absolutely not send an nd dc into high school with that bag. He's unlikely to be able to foresee how shitty other dc are going to be about it. I'd opt for a plain bag in a common brand.

This thread makes me sad.
My daughter goes to a SEN school for children with Autism.
They all have a variety of colourful or novelty backpacks, with cute keyrings galore hanging off them and usually covered with pin badges.
And no one cares !
No one says anything nasty.
They just accept each others tastes.
Sometimes I think those with autism have a much better view on life and how to treat one another.

Go for a plain one that's going to be large enough for all their books. They lug around sooooo much

Could you show him some plain, larger ones and as a compromise maybe get a couple of character keyrings to hang off it?

Ffs do not buy him those bags. Something plain with enough room for everything he needs.

im grateful that everyone has to have the school uniform school backpack at my kids’ school. It’s £45 but really sturdy and lasts the whole 5-7 years so a bargain.
Same with their games bag, although they do end up needing an extra one for hockey sticks, cricket kit etc.

No it was both.
My daughter had a more "boyish" bag. It was a Nintendo one.
She came home one day saying a Year 8 boy (who she knew from primary) chased her through the park.
Turns out it was because he wanted to say "I love your bag" too her 😂

No, he cannot take either of those bag, he will have the piss taken out of him. Target from day 1!

the PE kit stayed at school

Didn’t it get washed?! Surely he had to bring it to and from school pretty frequently for that purpose?

And didn’t he have things like textbooks and folders? Art projects? I know a lot more is digital these days but surely not everything?

I think that kids are older, say Y9 to Y11, they can get away with stuff like that because at that age it’s clearly being done to look quirky and ironic.

But in Y7-8 it won’t read as ironic, it will just look childish to other kids.

Put it this way, when I was 16 in the 1990s I used to wear a kids’ digital watch that played the James Bond theme tune and my friend had a My Little Pony lunchbox. No problem; we were offbeat indie types.

But if we’d had those when were 12 we’d have been ridiculed.

I wouldn’t, my son is autistic too, I got him to pick a bag from Hype that were more to his taste but not quite so babyish as the sort of bags he’d usually like. He ended up picking up something quite neutral but had a lot of pockets on the inside which he liked!

I guess it will blow your mind to know that my DS didn't take a bag at all to secondary school most days.

Lunch and pens, pencils etc got crammed into blazer pockets and the PE kit stayed at school.

What's normal in one school is not true for every other school.

Yes, most students did take a bag but some of them were smaller than the ones OP has pictured e.g. girls often used "big handbags".

I think that’s more the case for girls than boys, sadly.

All secondary school children need equipment, water, PE kit and most take food. An eleven year olds shoes won't fit in a tiny backpack.

I agree I would stick with a plain backpack and not either of the designs (keep it for the weekend?) but I'm not sure why so many posters keep saying it's too small as though they know more about what is required at OP's school than OP (who's already had two children there) does? Your school might require a bag large enough for a full scale mountain hike, but not every school does the same.

he needs a plain one bigger than that. Just explain that bags like that not allowed at secondary. Ours stipulated plain. Those bags are way too small.

Design aside, both those options look too small.

As with pp, my secondary school DC have to carry A4 sized folders in their backpacks. On PE days they also carry their PE kit in their backpacks.
Although I have to admit that I just bought them plain black backpacks for starting Y7 without asking their opinion though, I figured that when their first backpacks needed replacing they’d have a better feel for what would be suitable for secondary school.

Have you spoken to the senco / Sen department at the secondary school about your DS’s needs and the transition to secondary school? My older DC have additional needs, and the Sen department were very helpful around extra support with transition and organising reasonable adjustments as needed.

I teach in secondary, there is no helping some pupils but either of those bag choices are a no. I do have SEN kids who style out the weird/childish choices but they are now in Year 9 and their peers have lost interest in relentlessly teasing them.
He will need to carry PE kit too? And a lunch? Just a plain black that he isn’t attached to would be better. Hopefully you can hurry that EHCP along so he gets support. Have you spoken to the SEN team at the new school and explained the situation? They may be able to put provisional support in place. Go through his timetable each night ready for the next day, make sure you have a massive supply of the same pens and pencils at home for when he inevitably loses his favourite ones, talk to him about coping with changes to routine and how to manage busy corridors at class changeovers. Hopefully his form tutor will be his one constant and you can get to know them and they’ll let you know if he’s struggling

One of my adult Dds is ND and by the time she was in higher years the quirkiness of bags etc was accepted but starting 1st year (Scotland) we went for a generic school bag.

Get him one of those to use in the holidays/ at the weekend. Tell him you’ve been advised that the school backpack needs to be bigger and plainer and get him to choose between X, Y or Z (provide a choice of 3 more suitable options).

My DD is starting high school and the bag has caused her lots of anxiety as she doesn't want a handbag style like other girls. It made me feel a little sad but think you are right to be cautious as our children are already at a disadvantage and my may not have the confidence to style out a bolder choice. I think his choice is a bit young to be honest. I would suggest a plain one for starters and he can always switch once he is established. You can always say it's not big enough and suggest he picks from a shortlist you create.

My DS loves to dress formally in full suit, waistcoat, tie, even if we are only going to the park, and as he has got older I am struggling with the balance of letting him feel comfortable and be himself, without exposing him to ridicule from peers and strangers as he can't get away with it being considered 'cute and quirky' like he could when he was little. His appearance just don't occur to him as being an issue, but then he then feels very hurt if anyone makes a negative comment as he doesn't understand why.

Every decision like this chips away at your heart and it's hard to strike the balance between guidance to protect them and allowing them their identity and to find their own way.

I know you said he wont budge but can you say he will need a bigger. School bag and steer him towards something that wont stand out as much and let him get a sonic pencil case or whatever

I really wouldn't send him with either of those.

Don't show him ones like that. Take him to sports direct and let him pick a large plain sports brand one ?(Nike etc)

I work in a secondary school. Most turn up with plain black rucksacks , lots of different brands but mainly Nike. It will stand out.