To expect high schools to provide lockers?

[houseinthecorner]

My daughter starts year 7 on Thursday in her high school but they don't have lockers so my child had to carry her cost, PE bag, books and folders ect around with her all day. Am I being unreasonable to expect a Locket to be provided so she can at least store her coat? And other things ?

Lairy I doubt any school has lockers big enough to take all that stuff. I assume art kit is dropped off in the department, musical instrument in the music rooms. Time you got your school to move onto iPads or similar if kids are having to lug around three dictionaries. I doubt that's needed every day anyway.

Gosh - lots of doubts there. Do convince me otherwise.

All the lockers at my secondary school were caved in so most days I would have to carry my bag, my coat, my boot/PE bag (twice a week), and my large textiles plastic folder (twice a week).

It's no big deal.

In my school in the 90s there were a few lockers for hire but no-one really used them.

Just only take the stuff you need for the actual day.

Coats can be worn between classrooms and at break you're outside.

I cannot ever remember this being a problem. I played the clarinet and kept it with me. My friend played the cello and could leave it in the music room.

It was harder when I was in 6th form and had a long journey. I was studying 2 languages so needed proper sized dictionaries most days. in secondary school you could get away with pocket sized dictionaries.

In my old school we had to leave everything on the floor outside of the classroom in a bit pile in the corner. Bullies paradise

Dc school don't have lockers and they have a ridiculous amount to carry but it goes under the desk.

Lairy I doubt any school has lockers big enough to take all that stuff. I assume art kit is dropped off in the department, musical instrument in the music rooms. Time you got your school to move onto iPads or similar if kids are having to lug around three dictionaries. I doubt that's needed every day anyway

It's not that big a locker, but yes, it just about does! Not all at once because some is in his bag etc. Violin goes to homeroom until needed. Three dictionaries are in 3 different languages!

God don't suggest ipads, we already spend the national debt of Liechtenstein sending them to school!

I was studying 2 languages so needed proper sized dictionaries most days. in secondary school you could get away with pocket sized dictionaries.

These days they use online dictionaries. My dd smiles at how old fashioned I am when I use a printed dictionary.

Our school only has lockers for Year 7. There are, however, bag racks everywhere you go.

SMH at the determinedly 'we put up with crap' attitude of parents.
There are many many reasons schools are so incredibly different in the UK in terms of outcomes and this is one of them.

We didn't get them until 6th form, then it was a real privilege. My DD's school had them but got rid of them because they took up so much space and as most secondary schools are vast, they wasted a lot of time walking to and from the locker for things meaning they were late for lessons. They cope without.

Lockers in one building, next lesson in another etc.

I'm surprised at how many schools didn't have lockers! Mine was a life saver when I was at secondary school in the early 00's so based on my own experiences YANBU, but if there are no lockers and no space for them I'm not sure what you can do.

SMH at the determinedly 'we put up with crap' attitude of parents.

not really, more like a it was never a problem not to have lockers in my schools, so I don't think carrying your bag for a reasonably healthy pupil is a big deal at all. How many miles are there really between 2 classes, even in these humongous schools some posters seem to have?

No one expects the kids to carry their bags during PE lessons.

I have visited some schools in very deprived areas, some had lockers, and I wouldn't call that a great success. It was grim.

Kids waste time going to their lockers for things they could easily carry around

We have set times for going to lockers.

Lockers are expensive to maintain, particularly when keys get lost constantly or they are damaged deliberately
We pay for rental and we buy our own padlocks, which we have to pay to remove and replace if the key or combination is lost. They cost the school nothing.

Lockers are flash points for fights and disruptive behaviour, so have to be monitored by staff

I really don't know what this means.Why would there be more fights at lockers than anywhere else? Or what disruptive behavior? I have never heard of any such thing happening. Ours are not monitored and don't need to be.

Can you imagine how much space a thousand lockers would take up (1 for each pupil in our High School)!

Not much, actually! (thats how many we have)

We had the tall lockers and in some years we shared 2 to a locker.

Always had lockers at my kids school, after the first year they all stopped using them for the most part and just took what they need when they needed. They were never expected to take books home though unless to finish work that should've been finished so I would expect a school which doesn't have lockers would be the same.

We had lockers, never used them as they weren't really in the most convenient of places, or never seemed like it anyway. But I was generally liked by the teachers so was always allowed to leave my clarinet in the music room cupboard, sports stuff (and sometimes other bits) in the hockey store room, art folder in a convenient place in the art room, etc. So I would suggest that she is a friendly, if slightly cheeky girl and then will probably be able to leave stuff where she likes! Spent 5 mins dropping stuff off in the morning then it was conveniently there where I needed it.

Very few secondary school kids wear coats above -10 degrees where we are. A scarf, under protest, if you push hard enough and take the muuu-uuum!! eye-roll.

Coats? Nobody at my DC High School (naice area) wore a coat even if it is was snowing!!!

Agree there just wouldn't be room for lockers in most schools. It really isn't a drama for most students to carry their stuff around. I imagine exceptions can be made for students with disabilities.

cross post pax

I survived high school in the 90s without a locker.

Hundreds of pupils at your DC's school survive without lockers now. As do probably millions of teenagers at other schools.

Your DD will cope. She needs to learn to only take what she needs for that day, and emptying out the stuff she doesn't need for that day. School dinners on PE days will help keep the weight down

I have never seen/experienced a school without lockers. TBH I didn't use mine much though. I kept all of my notes in one notebook with rare away pages then filed them into separate folders when I got home.