Secondary school bag help!!

[Suzi19]

Hi all,

My daughter starts secondary school in September, she’s our eldest so first time going through transition. I want to get her a “cool” bag (she isn’t aware really of things like this as she is autistic - I have asked what bag she wants and she just says what all the other kids have so I fit in!) unfortunately at 39 I have no clue what is cool and what’s not!!! Can anyone enlighten me as to what might be some good options?

Any advice on anything else I should be getting would also be very much appreciated ☺️

Thank you from one very anxious mummy!! Xx

You can't go wrong with a brand like adidas, for example. If she's going in to Y7, all the kids will be having the same problem - they won't know what each other have until they're there. IME, girls tend to prefer tote bags / large handbags but they're not practical.

Adidas or Nike black rucksack, preferably one with space for her water bottle on the outside. Put a nametape on it somewhere discrete but easy to find (under the handle is our go to with another one inside).
Alternatively, go for plain black unbranded and say you'll go and get a new one at October HT.

I came here to say "please let her get a 'cool' one not a practical one" and I'm so pleased to see that's what you want!

I'm fuck all help telling you what is cool, but I still cringe internally at the practical bags I was lumped with by my parents.

Adidas/Nike/Under Armour all good. Dd1 had a sky blue Nike bag first year then swaped to a puma bag for second year.

Do you have a local FB group where you can ask others with children at the school?

DD's secondary put a backpack as mandatory on their equipment list. It is an all-girls school so Adidas was not cool there, too boyish.

In the last year I see a lot of Jansport bags and DD got hers 2 years ago. It's the only bag which survived without damage and still goes strong.

Another one here saying a Nike or Adidas rucksack - it will need to be quite big because they she will have quite a lot of stuff to cart round unfortunately.

Plain black with a Nike or Addidas sign on it. No fancy colours or strange design just a simple one that won’t stand out. Next year will be different by year 11 nobody cares but year7 you need to blend in!!

I see all sorts of bags but a black Nike/adidas/puma/vans style rucksack will be fine.

Certainly at my school, they don’t seem as hung up on everyone having to have the same thing. Not as much as when I was at school certainly.

There was a thread on this the other day I'll find the link

Secondary school back packs www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/5119979-secondary-school-back-packs

Plain black Nike backpack from sports direct I think is the best choice

High school teacher here. Just wanted to say I love your attitude to this ❣️. Nike are cooler than Adidas currently with my year 7s. You can't go too far wrong in JD!

Agree with two previous posts, Nike all the way, black and plain

Hardly any of the girls at DS1's secondary use backpacks. They all carry big shoulder bags (no idea what the proper name is).

The boys just carry fairly plain backpacks- Under Armour do ones big enough for PE kit plus books plus packed lunch!

Tote bags! I think that's what I mean.

I’m a secondary teacher. The boys have Nike or adidas backpacks. The girls most definitely don’t!
The girls either have massive tote / handbag things or, if they have a backpack, they have one of these
https://www.fjallraven.com/uk/en-gb/bags-gear/backpacks-bags/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADiUHBTrPZzBvxcRoK78p1mYWyczL&gclid=CjwKCAjw74e1BhBnEiwAbqOAjI9pgNP5e-zn1Lirn8LkDo2vp5mfO9u98UTc7N5iP_dIopIrhVEPOBoCRsAQAvD_BwE

in a bright colour.

Ask mums that have girls already at secondary what bags are popular. My DS’ secondary had a school rucksack that was part of the uniform.

I'm surprised the girls have Nike or adidas. My sons certainly do. Daughters and friends have Eastpak, or Kanken.
And definitely not black.

I would ask girls with big sisters or neighbours with older girls what they use

I live by a girls' school and the majority have plain black backpacks. Some have a logo - Nike seems to be most common - but others appear to be unbranded.

My lot all have dark coloured jansport and eastpak back packs. The bags are sooo heavy and they walk alot, these are really robust and have good padded straps. Nike and addidas just didn't stand up to the weight of all the stuff they carry. I also work in school and have to try and mend a lot of tote bags and nike back packs that have given up under the strain !

I'm surprised by so many suggesting Nike and Adidas - not so popular with girls at our school. The best advice is to ask parents of older girls already at the school. If there's a local FB group or you're on a school WhatsApp group this is a good way to do this.

I know you said you want cool, but I'd also consider "practical". For example, a surprising number of bags marketed for school don't accommodate A4 folders. Also consider if your DC needs to walk round with everything in it all day, or whether they hardly take anything back and forth to school and would leave it in a locker.

Most seem to be totes or shein backpacks a few have hershall (?) ones or the fjallraven
the girls seem to want to make it look like a handbag

My DD is just going into year 9 and I’ve bought her this tote bag. I’ve previously preferred rucksacks but totes are cooler for girls and this one is bigger than most rucksacks. It’s not arrived yet though.

https://pompomlondon.com/products/greenwich-bag-black

Previously she had a black lululemon one which was very pricey but better than the year 7 one where she had to tie her pe shoes on the outside as they wouldn’t fit in!

For a first bag in year 7 a plain Nike back pack is fine.

In my school it's 50/50 totes/backpack for girls.

Avoid pink sparkles horses cats that kind of thing.

A Nike backpack will blend in. Also agree cool over practical as my mum sent me with a practical antler backpack 🎒

Those straps wouldn't last 5 minutes with the weight of my daughter's rucksack 😱 Not to mention having the weight on just one shoulder wouldn't be great for your daughter's back 😔

My daughter is going into year 8. She's had a plain grey or a black rucksack with a keyring to accesorize.