Page 5 | 12.5kg school backpack no lockers

PalmLady · 2024-10-07T15:32:25+00:00

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.

Hallamlass · 07/10/2024 20:16

Ah, @Talipesmum - we don't have planners anymore, it's all on Satchel One. Quite a saving!

Hallamlass · 07/10/2024 20:15

Talipesmum · 07/10/2024 20:13

No, if it’s like our school each subject has an a4 exercise book that they do all their work in, quite chunky. So you have one a4 thick exercise book per subject. Luckily (sort of) they don’t tend to have textbooks much.

eta - and the journal may be a homework journal thing where they write in what hw they get, the parents have to sign and write notes in them etc. Our school won’t kill them off - so annoying as all the homework is online these days. But still they have to have their journal…

And no, to whoever said they must have pegs or somewhere to leave their pe kit - nope definitely not!

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Ok. I'm surprised they take them home each time. Ours remain in school. In KS3 the homework is only once a term , KS4 more frequent, but still. Perhaps, OP, ask the school why they can't be left in the subject classroom? They're not doing homework for each subject every night?

Talipesmum · 07/10/2024 20:13

Hallamlass · 07/10/2024 20:06

Do you mean textbooks? They're not usually issued. What's the journal? Is that like a planner?

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No, if it’s like our school each subject has an a4 exercise book that they do all their work in, quite chunky. So you have one a4 thick exercise book per subject. Luckily (sort of) they don’t tend to have textbooks much.

eta - and the journal may be a homework journal thing where they write in what hw they get, the parents have to sign and write notes in them etc. Our school won’t kill them off - so annoying as all the homework is online these days. But still they have to have their journal…

And no, to whoever said they must have pegs or somewhere to leave their pe kit - nope definitely not!

wastingtimeonhere · 07/10/2024 20:12

I went to a large comp in the 1980s and 400+ kids per year group. We had lockers, and they lined the corridors. They were wooden, old-fashioned but big enough for bag, books, coat screwed up folded, and had clasps which we could put a padlock on. We went to retrieve books at break and lunch. The poor design of school buildings seems to be the problem.

JohnofWessex · 07/10/2024 20:06

This was raised as an issue in France some years ago.

Plus of course never underestimate the ability of schools to play silly buggers and insist that kids bring in everything even if they dont need it on pain of death.

Hallamlass · 07/10/2024 20:06

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 20:02

Today he had 4 subject books and a journal. Books are all A4 and have to have mandatory book covers which may add a few grams. 😁

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Do you mean textbooks? They're not usually issued. What's the journal? Is that like a planner?

WolfFoxHare · 07/10/2024 20:05

speedmop · 07/10/2024 17:50

in his backpack he fits all his books plus food ingredients plus or kit plus trainers?

wow! what’s the back pack?

Why are you so invested in disbelieving the OP?

Hallamlass · 07/10/2024 20:04

Norfolkbound · 07/10/2024 16:39

The bags they are expected to carry are horrendously heavy! So much so, that that I think is the sole reason some parents drive their children to secondary. It is an unreasonable weight to carry. I have a little dream where I have a teacher put on an empty backpack and then fill it one by one with all the essentials and then see what they think! Mine is Year 8 now and 100% the posture has been negatively impacted.

Edited

You don't think teachers carry a lot to and from school and classroom to classroom? Try lifting a set of textbooks and exercise books up and down flights of stairs.
That's not the point. I've no idea why any student is carrying all this. Mine often don't even have a pen.....

MermaidEyes · 07/10/2024 20:02

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.

Well over 2500 kids in my dc school, no room for that many lockers! They have a few so it's basically first come first served every year. They're pointless anyway because they're often on one side of the school and lessons are on the other and there's not enough time to get to the locker between lessons.

Original poster

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 20:02

BlackOrangeFrog · 07/10/2024 19:58

But surely he only has up to 6 subjects a day that might require books?

How many books is he taking each day???

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Today he had 4 subject books and a journal. Books are all A4 and have to have mandatory book covers which may add a few grams. 😁

OP posts:

Original poster

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 20:01

speedmop · 07/10/2024 18:11

out of interest… what were the food ingredients?

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.

OP posts:

BlackOrangeFrog · 07/10/2024 19:58

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 19:53

He needs the kit 3 out of 5 days. I'll weigh again when there's less but if there's no food tech then there's more books. He didn't even have a reading book in his bag today or any lunch.

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But surely he only has up to 6 subjects a day that might require books?

How many books is he taking each day???

speedmop · 07/10/2024 19:55

school writing books for each subject,

he has every subject, every day?

Original poster

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 19:53

BlackOrangeFrog · 07/10/2024 19:50

Oh come on, he doesn't have pE and food tech every day...

How much is it without the PE and food?

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He needs the kit 3 out of 5 days. I'll weigh again when there's less but if there's no food tech then there's more books. He didn't even have a reading book in his bag today or any lunch.

OP posts:

speedmop · 07/10/2024 19:52

Just sounds like he needs to be more organised OP and work out what he needs and when

BlackOrangeFrog · 07/10/2024 19:50

PalmLady · 07/10/2024 17:35

He has his journal, school writing books for each subject, apron, pe kit with trainers, pencil case, 200ml water bottle and food tech ingredients.
It's probably the food tech and pe kit bumping it up more today but it seems so heavy every day.

There's literally nothing today that we could have left out.

Oh come on, he doesn't have pE and food tech every day...

How much is it without the PE and food?

minipie · 07/10/2024 19:12

Oh he’s lugging PE kit around all day?! That’s crazy.

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

RickiRaccoon · 07/10/2024 18:44

That's ridiculous they don't have lockers. I had a tote tray from age 5 and a locker from age 11. Students are made to carry stupidly heavy stuff sometime. We used to have to carry the school-lent maths text book home for homework some days so my friend would just pull the pages out and then stick them back in later with tape! It looked pretty silly when she returned it at the end of the year!

largeprintagathachristie · 07/10/2024 18:41

Subsequent thought about carrying a water bottle:
Reminiscing that schools used to have water fountains for use during breaks and nobody carried water around with them.

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.

largeprintagathachristie · 07/10/2024 18:37

Water bottle should be empty on the way to school (fill it up there) and on the way home.

ThisHangryPinkBalonz · 07/10/2024 18:36

FerminRomeroDeTorres · 07/10/2024 18:06

Get a lever arch file and a bunch of these to go in them. Have one folder for each subject and swap them in and out of the lever arch each day depending on his timetable. They are big enough to fit jotters and most text books. He carries the file and everything else goes into his bag - it will massively reduce the weight on his shoulders while also keeping things organised and in one place as it were.

Sports kit is heavy - no two ways about it, but I’m surprised at Food Tech - not that he has it once a week, or that he has to bring ingredients every time they cook, but I’m shocked that they cook every session - where’s the theory?! I don’t know any schools near me that cook more than once a month on average.

Most schools have exercise books and if you don't bring in the books / learning booklets you will be sanctioned.

ThisHangryPinkBalonz · 07/10/2024 18:35

My kids bags are super heavy too. They have to take every lesson book because they aren't stored at school, as the year goes on the heavier they are, booklets, maths / art / general stationery, reading book, planner, water - it all adds up! They are at a good grammar school - and no one has ipads/laptops it's very old school.

I remember just walking to school with a pen!

speedmop · 07/10/2024 18:33

Tiredalwaystired · 07/10/2024 18:29

My kids have never once used an iPad for school! It’s all note books (approx four subjects a day maybe five in year seven) and assorted stationery plus a book to read. That soon adds up. I’m assuming regular iPad use is a private school thing?

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may i ask how old your kids are?

TickingAlongNicely · 07/10/2024 18:33

FerminRomeroDeTorres · 07/10/2024 18:06

Get a lever arch file and a bunch of these to go in them. Have one folder for each subject and swap them in and out of the lever arch each day depending on his timetable. They are big enough to fit jotters and most text books. He carries the file and everything else goes into his bag - it will massively reduce the weight on his shoulders while also keeping things organised and in one place as it were.

Sports kit is heavy - no two ways about it, but I’m surprised at Food Tech - not that he has it once a week, or that he has to bring ingredients every time they cook, but I’m shocked that they cook every session - where’s the theory?! I don’t know any schools near me that cook more than once a month on average.

My DDs have always cooked most weeks in their Food Tech term... otherwise they would only cook 3 or 4 times! Does your school do it year round?
They are learning the techniques for cooking.