to be annoyed what the school has done?

[Tistheseason17]

My DD5 has come back from school today and her book bag, which had a discrete label on the back with her name/class on it, now has her name written in full in big black marker pen across the top of it.

No consultation or contact from the school. They just defaced our personal property without consideration for child safeguarding or respect for personal property.

The school has a strict policy on social media posting of photos of children but they are showing everyone as we walk to school her full name easily visible across the top of the bag.

I am fully prepared to be flamed! That is the point of AIBU so I will acknowledge if everyone thinks I am over reacting!

It could be a safeguarding issue if it involved children in foster care or a refuge. Presumably if there are any such issues for children then schools who do things like this would exclude those children from such processes - in order to keep them safe. Marking them out as being different to their peers.

I wouldn't want my child's full name being very visible because in my line of work I sometimes upset people. I don't want people to know where I live, where my children go to school, or what my children look like. My children's schools are not allowed to use their full names if they're going to appear on social media, in newspaper photos etc. so I'd be really upset if they'd done this.

I'd also be very annoyed that the bag couldn't be passed down or reused.

I think that is outrageous. I would be very annoyed.

I'd be really pissed off, and it is a safe guarding issue. Possibly down to a lazy teacher? I'd be tempted to ask for funds to replace the bag (or send in a tescos carrier bag, although that would be upsetting for your dc).

That actually is a SG issue and you should raise it

Yes it is advised not to display children's names but I'd also be really annoyed because unless the teacher paid for it she can jog on lol.

I'm at the idea of selling or passing on book bags. Ours have never lasted long enough.

I worked in CP for a number of years and although I’m realistic about the small chance that a predatory person is going to make an approach I don’t let my DD6 have anything which advertises her name. I’ve seen kids with rucksacks with their full name embroidered / printed on them which I find disquieting ( although I appreciate my background plays a part in this I wouldn’t even have her first name printed on her bag. I also think it was pretty presumptuous of the school... I’m not sure of your situation but we don’t get to choose the style - we have to have the designated one from the official supplier. They can’t then complain that they all look identical and decide to write all over them. New bag I feel, unless you can clean it somehow.

its not a safeguarding issue. It's mildly annoying that someone wrote a name on a bag you had already written a name on. Thats all.

I notice you only wrote the first name on. That may well be why they did one with the surname. Unless your kid is Madonna, they need two names to be identifiable in a school.

@TheWinterofOurDiscountTentsMk2

I'm going with the majority view of the teachers and CP experts who say report. But thanks anyway.

In the school where I work, we aren't even allowed to write full names on the children's exercise books anymore! YADNBU. It's totally unnecessary. The vast majority of schools do not do this and manage to cope.

The majority can be and is wrong. But report away, see what happens. (Spoiler: nothing)

How much was the bag? I'm sure the teacher would be happy to replace it for you, they can add it to the list of things they already pay for to make your child have a good experience in the classroom.

Possibly you can remove the markings from the bag with alcohol or acetone. But it would really piss me off!

@Ballsofmush

The bag has a little plastic wallet where you write their full name, which I had done. When you pick the bag up and are close you can easily read. I think a PP said the same- these school bags are pretty generic.

The school had written her full name in bold black marker across the front of the bag.

I paint my dc initials in big day glow fabric paint. Easy to identify even if kids don't know initials.

Sorry thought you said you only used her first name

And paper often comes out of those little plastic wallets. Kids need to be able to id bags from a pile without turning each over to look for tiny scrap on the back

The school had written her full name in bold black marker across the front of the bag
Sounds lovely. If my kid needed his name on a bag I’d stencil it carefully with fabric paint. I wouldn’t want him walking around with a shitty looking pen scrawl on his bag.

@Allthewaves
Nice idea! I will suggest!
We've been using fluffy identifiable key rings so far which the kids know are theirs!
I don't mind initials, much better

They love the key rings though don’t they?

I have had a book bag handle cover made with my daughters first name embroidered on it. It's a bit of fabric with Velcro on and a bit of padding inside it as and it wraps around the little handle that she holds. She's had that since her 1st year at nursery ( 5 different ones now) she's now in year 2 and every teacher has loved them and the head is loving them too. Much better than keyrings and look so smart. We also get initials in the front of the bag under the school logo.

No, it's completely unreasonable, they have defaced your property and committed a safeguarding error. I'd be very annoyed indeed.

So many better ways of identifying the bag owner!

Thank you 😍

To add she's the only child in the school with her name and initials. And the only one with the book bag handle too