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Original poster

12.5kg school backpack no lockers

163 replies

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 16:32

My son's Y7 back pack with only the absolute necessary items weighs 12.5kg. There are no lockers for them to use. This seems excessive to me? My son only weighs 35kg himself.

OP posts:
TickingAlongNicely · 08/10/2024 12:30

BlackOrangeFrog · 08/10/2024 12:25

Still where are you going to put 150 sets of ingredients every single day? And how are you ensuring Joe gets his ingredients and not John's?

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In the fridges/cupboard put aside for the ingredients, in a named box?
Thats how my kids school manages it!

suburburban · 08/10/2024 12:25

@lololulu

We weren't necessarily but had a form room.

It was in the 80s mind you.

Totally sympathetic about this situation as the schools should provide lockers

BlackOrangeFrog · 08/10/2024 12:25

Octavia64 · 08/10/2024 08:56

Well, in my school there is a very large cupboard in the food tech area for leaving ingredients.

There are 5 classes a day x 30 students is 150 sets of ingredients.

So nowhere near 1000 sets of ingredients.

And every teacher (or most) have a form room with space at the back.

Not everyone left their PE kits but I did allow it for any e that wanted to, they went on top of the cupboards at the back of the room. Form group of 25.

Show quote history

Still where are you going to put 150 sets of ingredients every single day? And how are you ensuring Joe gets his ingredients and not John's?

Jk987 · 08/10/2024 10:23

What do his classmates do?

ThisHangryPinkBalonz · 08/10/2024 10:18

FerminRomeroDeTorres · 08/10/2024 06:16

As I said in my post - exercise books/jotters easily fit within the popper wallets linked, as do school produced booklets and even many text books. (Tricolor fits in perfectly)

I have 4 DC and they have all used lever arch files with these popper wallets in them to save space and weight in their bags.

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I still don't get it, surely you are adding extra weight with a file and wallets if you have to take your books anyway.

Howmanyusernames123 · 08/10/2024 09:13

bluecomputerscreen · 08/10/2024 07:55

why do people find this so unbelievable?

my dc need to take
laptop & charger
calculator
pencil case
text book per subject of the day (usually 5)
notebook per subject (those thin a4 ones)
shoes if pe 3 x week
instrument (or sheets) 2 x week

pe kit is worn on days of pe (minus shoes, as they have 3 different pe shoes) - no uniform school.

they have lockers though and can leave textbook in school if they can manage the homework during free periods.

Mainly because I can get a weeks worth of clothes, including 2 pairs of shoes, toiletry bag, laptop and charger, couple of books, lunch, battery packs, adapters etc in a suitcase and backpack and come in under 12.5kg. I can actually manage for 2 weeks with 12.5kg of luggage if I’m efficient.

i am struggling to compute how 1 days worth of school kit in one backpack can be 12.5kg. Even factoring in text books. When I was at uni carrying around graduate texts and notes which were really big it wasn’t that heavy.

if kids really are taking that much how come I’m not seeing them with the equivalent of carry on luggage rather than just a backpack?

my 2 dc have just left secondary and certainly never got to 12 kg, even with PE and home ec stuff.

lololulu · 08/10/2024 09:09

Pe

lololulu · 08/10/2024 09:09

@Octavia64

Well if the food ingredients or is kit were left at my dds school they would get nicked.

Octavia64 · 08/10/2024 08:56

lololulu · 08/10/2024 07:19

@Octavia64

Get him to ask the food tech teacher if he can leave his ingredients in the store cupboard and the beginning of the day

ask his tutor/form teacher if he can leave his PE kit in her classroom.

  • So what happens when the other 1000 pupils or even 10 ask to do the same?

Well, in my school there is a very large cupboard in the food tech area for leaving ingredients.

There are 5 classes a day x 30 students is 150 sets of ingredients.

So nowhere near 1000 sets of ingredients.

And every teacher (or most) have a form room with space at the back.

Not everyone left their PE kits but I did allow it for any e that wanted to, they went on top of the cupboards at the back of the room. Form group of 25.

minipie · 08/10/2024 08:50

I have a child at secondary school lololulu

lololulu · 08/10/2024 08:47

@minipie

There must be somewhere to leave it even if not a locker. Surely he has a peg?? Shelves?

▪️Can I ask how long ago you left secondary school?

lololulu · 08/10/2024 08:44

suburburban · 07/10/2024 18:39

What's happened to the lockers

I remember having a desk at school and leaving my books in it.

So you were in the same classroom for every lesson?

mugboat · 08/10/2024 08:25

bluecomputerscreen · 08/10/2024 07:55

why do people find this so unbelievable?

my dc need to take
laptop & charger
calculator
pencil case
text book per subject of the day (usually 5)
notebook per subject (those thin a4 ones)
shoes if pe 3 x week
instrument (or sheets) 2 x week

pe kit is worn on days of pe (minus shoes, as they have 3 different pe shoes) - no uniform school.

they have lockers though and can leave textbook in school if they can manage the homework during free periods.

that's a lot to be lugging around isn't it? It's more than I take to work myself. I have to take a laptop, but not a charger. And no textbooks, pencil case etc.

When I was at school myself, I remember carrying around a heavy bag of books but at least I didn't need the laptop and charger. If they're being asked to lug in a laptop and charger, you'd think they wouldn't then need textbooks and minimal exercise books.

mugboat · 08/10/2024 08:21

FerminRomeroDeTorres · 08/10/2024 07:19

Oh does seem a shame. Here textiles are now a part of the Art curriculum, although it was part of HE when I was at school. Product design - is that like Design & Technology? Or is it something different? Design & Technology is also taught all year round here.

Most schools here now have 5-6 periods a day but some still use the older style timetable of 9-10 periods a day so in junior school (1st-3rd form) when there are less doubles and triples you could have up to 7/8 subjects per day. In my DC’s school they have 9 periods a day and I like it because they always get triple PE and HE so 1hr, 45 min each week for those subjects. Tech and Art are always either doubles or triples. The schools that have 5 periods a day have lessons lasting 1hr each and most schools don’t have doubles for anything until senior school (6th form), maybe a very occasional one at GCSE years, but they’d be rare. It’s really hard to get anywhere with practical lessons in an hour. I was on staff in an HE department for years and it was a nightmare getting the pupils to prep, cook and clean up in an hour. They simply didn’t have time to learn the skills that my DC get in an hour and 45min

Show quote history

think product design is similar to design technology... I will find out later I guess. She's in Y7 and only just started at secondary school. It's a double period and she has at least one double every day

thinking about it, even 30 yrs ago when I was at sec school myself it was very similar.

It is a massive shame some schools have dropped cooking though. It's needed now more than ever. My DD has been learning how to cook and bake from me, but not all children are.

speedmop · 08/10/2024 08:03

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speedmop · 08/10/2024 08:02

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bluecomputerscreen · 08/10/2024 07:59

bluecomputerscreen · 08/10/2024 07:55

why do people find this so unbelievable?

my dc need to take
laptop & charger
calculator
pencil case
text book per subject of the day (usually 5)
notebook per subject (those thin a4 ones)
shoes if pe 3 x week
instrument (or sheets) 2 x week

pe kit is worn on days of pe (minus shoes, as they have 3 different pe shoes) - no uniform school.

they have lockers though and can leave textbook in school if they can manage the homework during free periods.

and I forgot water bottle & food for lunch and breaks

bluecomputerscreen · 08/10/2024 07:55

why do people find this so unbelievable?

my dc need to take
laptop & charger
calculator
pencil case
text book per subject of the day (usually 5)
notebook per subject (those thin a4 ones)
shoes if pe 3 x week
instrument (or sheets) 2 x week

pe kit is worn on days of pe (minus shoes, as they have 3 different pe shoes) - no uniform school.

they have lockers though and can leave textbook in school if they can manage the homework during free periods.

BlackOrangeFrog · 08/10/2024 07:39

soupfiend · 08/10/2024 07:26

From the ingredients list, I reckon he made a lasagne.

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Nonsense, he crocheted a Halloween hedgehog

BlackOrangeFrog · 08/10/2024 07:39

speedmop · 08/10/2024 07:19

Soup.

So 33 secondary school student then had to take home a vat of soup each on the bus?! 😆

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That's what we used to do, bring all sorts home from food tech

soupfiend · 08/10/2024 07:26

speedmop · 08/10/2024 07:14

what did he make?
Did he then bring home?!

600ml of stock shoved in his backpack with trainers, PE kit and the numerous textbooks you mention? oh and with a leek, potato etc alongside it all. That was brave!

Edited
Show quote history

From the ingredients list, I reckon he made a lasagne.

Completelyjo · 08/10/2024 07:24

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 20:01

Soup - a potato, leek, onion, celery, carrot, 600ml stock, coriander and 10ml oil. The stock probably bumped it up a bit more than usual too.

Show quote history

Why would anyone carry 600ml of stock instead of a stock cube or stock pot??

lololulu · 08/10/2024 07:23

My kids cook about 6 times a year.

They don't bring any books home.

They wear trainers to school so keep them on for pe.

They both have those small Nike pro back packs.

I remember having to take all of my books, food tech, trainers, a towel and spare underwear and socks.

Hallamlass · 08/10/2024 07:22

Where I teach, the students bring their ingredients in, then leave them in Food Tech before registration. No carrying about all day.

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