To say if not found the SCHOOL should replace it?

[Arrowfanatic]

Day one of school today. My year one son came out of school crying as his book bag has gone missing. This book bag is an expensive one issued by the school, I cannot afford to replace it.

He had it in school, the teachers were very half hearted about it. Suggested another child took it home, but since there were no bags in the classroom left over this child would presumably have left with 2 bags.

I told the teacher if it wasn't found tomorrow I would expect the school to replace it. The way I see it the bag was sent in to school, I have no control on how the bags are stored in school so why should I have to replace what is an expensive item when it's not my fault & a 5 year old who goes to get his back from the storage & find it missing is also not to blame.

School won't pay for a replacement - madness to have tried that tack! The most likely scenarios would be:

• another child took it home - easily done
• another child took it by accident to an after school club
• your child left it somewhere wierd by accident (loo; library; sports hall....)
• another child forgot his own bag this morning and accidentally took your sons

Dd went through a stage of loosing a cardi every couple of days... She had three and for about 3 weeks she never had more than one at home. Frustrating, but part of the joy of school life. They all headed back, one by one (I name very securely!!)

I would send your dg ineith any old bag for a week or so and keep checking lost property. And apologise to the teacher first thing tomorrow...

I'm sure it'll turn up, but imagine if schools had to pay for everything lost in their 4 walls! There'd be nothing to pay for education and teachers would be spending all day hunting things down. Frustrating but I'd say you'll only send in a plain bag until it turns up

It will probably turn up OP. I've told this story before but will tell it again for your enjoyment.

Dd once came home from school in her PERSONAL kit because her DRESS had gone missing after PE. There wasn't another lying about so it didn't seem someone has put it on by accident. It just seemed to have disappeared completely!

Later that evening I got a text from another mum " sorry your Dd lost her dress. When X got ready for her bath tonight she took off 2 dresses hers and your dd's." It was returned a couple of days later washed and ironed.

Kids do to leave stuff behind the piano or on the back of a chair even if instructed to put them in a box.

When asked by a teacher (who instructed to put the bag in x place) in front of a parent (who will have to buy another), it would be a rare 5 year old to admit he didn't put it where he was told to.

If he even has any idea where he did put it.

to

PE .... not personal. Corrected it 3 times but auto correct had it's wicked way

Do not buy another one for that price!! That's awful they expect parents to pay so much for a bag! Send him in with a normal bag until it's found.

Dd went through a stage of loosing a cardi every couple of days

My class were quite impressive at matching jumpers and cardigans to owners if they weren't labelled. I think they did it by smell

Today I had 2 children forget their glasses. And their glasses case. And it's guaranteed at least 1 child will leave a cardigan or jumper in the class.

I want a link to the bookbag!

Ps £30 is totally bonkers. I'd be challenging that element, given that 30 identical book bags per class is a recipe for lost/misplaced bags!

Don't use a tesco carrier that would be awful but he must have another bag you could use or a rucksack. It is the schools fault he is only tiny and I would be really passed off too. My son got bought a lovely booking for his birthday that he uses. He did get a free school bookbag but prefers his other one and school don't seem to mind.

Pissed off and bookbag not booking!!

Book bags in a box works quite well if they can identify their book bag.

Nearly 30 effing quid?! Are they made of gold? No wonder you're upset. I thought I was being fleeced at £5.

I told the teacher if it wasn't found tomorrow I would expect the school to replace it
How is this rude?

YANBU OP

Please do report back with an update

We used to just have cheap ones and print the kids names in bright white letters across them. Now it's these admittedly good quality thick embroidered ones with the school motto on. As soon as I had to buy it (and another for other children) I made sure or was as obviously labelled as allowed. The actual label is hidden under a flap and you aren't allowed obvious de oration on them (hanging key ring etc) so I stuck the stickers under the flap.

All bags in a box that the kids rifle through to get theirs when they are identical seems daft imo. This was the new teachers method. Ok her class her rules fine, and as I said a jumper lost ok. Believe me my kids have lost many many, plus socks & hair bands etc. But this is expensive and I'm not mad of money. It wasn't in his control where it went, nor mine. Why should I have to foot a bill I can ill afford if it still doesn't show??? Whose responsibilty is it because the one time we lost a school library book I was fined. Ok, not as much money but still it was in my charge.

If it is £30 I am shocked. My 4 Dc have been to numerous schools and never paid more than a fiver!
It will turn up,

I doubt that they'll replace it, but I hear you!

All this kit that young kids are expected to have but there's seemingly nowhere safe to put it, or there's 30 kids scrabbling in a box at the same time to get bags out-madness!

When my son was at Kindergarten his name was put in a jacket that wasn't his!

Ours used to put all the book bags in a box at that age. TA would go through them, changing books and marking journals. Maybe s/he left it i the teachers room or in the year 6 class where she helped out... it will turn up.

The 'only send it in if you can replace it' is bollocks.

My youngest 2 go to a school with an eye wateringly expensive uniform. Eg, Ds' blazer - £90, for a 4 year old. There's no way I'd be happy replacing that, no way, no how. No option on having it, btw. Damn right I'd expect some input from teachers/schools admin/prefects - I don't really care who - if it goes missing, through no fault of ds', in school time, on school property.

When dd2 had a spate of losing her winter hat (£15 a time), it really grated that the teacher just bleated about small children losing stuff, as though that was acceptable - I know dd2 wasn't losing it, it was being taken (and yes, I know - dd2 has ASD, follows rules as though her life depends on it, and cannot lie about it afterwards), yet nothing was being done to sort it out. Because of the same attitude of 'well, if you can afford to send your child here, you shouldn't quibble about replacing uniform'. Utter horseshit.

I have a lot of sympathy, OP. Schools insist on a really strict uniform policy (kids can't just have "a mostly plain navy bag" or a "plain navy coat", it has to be THE school bag/coat etc), which makes it bloody difficult even for older children to recognise and keep track of their belongings. They also (at least, in my experience) have a very cavalier attitude to lost property ("it'll turn up"). Meanwhile, your child feels out of place because they don't have THE thing that all the other kids have (and all the other kids point this out), so you are left with little option other than just to buy a new one if it doesn't turn up in a day or so. I can believe £30 for a bag - it's because they are bespoke with a school badge/logo that they cost so much.

All bags in a box that the kids rifle through to get theirs when they are identical seems daft imo

Works in many primary schools throughout the country.

Everything goes missing in school. Shoes, bookbags, jumpers, ties, drinks flasks, coats, the lot. The school won't replace it. Can you imagine the cost of replacing every child's lost things?
DS' reception jumper, with his name in was found when he reached year 3. Of course its too small now, but we looked everywhere back then and then 4 years later someone handed it into the yr 3 class teacher.That was the first of many lost items.
I remember one of the mums asking me if my ds was wearing her ds' shoes. My ds feet are the same size as mine he has huge feet for a child, her ds is a kids size 12 , but she had to inspect them and most of the other boy's with similar shoes for herself as she was down forty quid. Who knows where they ended up. Who knows where any of it ends up.

Which school budget would you like the £30 to come out of? Teaching staff? Art equipment? School trips? Can you imagine the cost to the school if they replaced all the items that go missing over the year and the impact that would have on the children?

I think the problem here is the cost of the book bag (ridiculous), not the fact that it went missing (inevitable).

There's no way this book.bag is £30.

Link/screenshot please?