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!

GDPR Issue!?!?

Some people here have no clue.

Or maybe just walk with her in and out of school. Sorry but what are you exactly expecting to happen walking around with this bag if you are responsible and supervise her? Teach her stranger danger and it should be easy, if some sicko wanted to take a child I doubt it would make much of a difference if they knew their name or not?

m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Book-Bag-Handle-/272905831264

Like this but in school colours and plain fabric with her name

Stupid question alert:
What’s a book bag?

Is it a school bag or something that goes into a school bag? Why does the teacher sort them at the end of the day?

My Dc isn’t primary aged, so my school experience is 30 years ago (in Ireland) and we had a school bag with our stuff and lunch in it and kept it at our desks all day so don’t think the teacher would need to go near them ever really- so I’m slighty confused (and tired- I might regret this question tomorrow)

I agree with others that it is a safeguarding issue to display a child's full name on their belongings for all and sundry to see. A remote risk but still easily avoided.

I'd be more annoyed that something I had bought and labelled myself had been written on by somebody else without asking.

I work in a pre school and have sorted through a lot of book bags to find the one belonging to X. Time consuming but when you insist on uniform book bags they tend to be...well...uniform...

It’s a flattish foolscap sort of size bag that carries a child reading book, homework sheets & planner/reading record. They are often kept in trays during the school day & the teacher goes in them to check the reading record, change books or send messages home etc.

OP do let us know th school’s response

@Witchofwisteria
You should check out the experiment at a park where loads of children had been taught stranger danger but they all volunteered to go off with person who said he had puppies for them to look at.

Also, of course I'm not worried when I'm walking them to school. It's when they are on local walks around the village and someone knows who they are as I've been advertising her and where she lives every day.

Go in and see the Headteacher they are not allowed to do that. I work in a Primary School and I am not allowed to write a child's name in their sweatshirt to stop them losing it.

teacher just asks the kid to find the bag? or pick up the next bag in the pile and deal with that one next.

I will let you know the outcome and happy to eat humble pie if they do nothing. But based on all the teacher's responses on here i think they may do something 😊

Is it a school bag or something that goes into a school bag? Why does the teacher sort them at the end of the day?

It's a flat bag, a bit bigger than A4 size. Pupils in the lower years of primary school use them for their reading books, planners, and letters to/from parents. At my DD's school, everyone puts their book bag in a box at the front of the class. The teacher or TA can then put in letters, take out reading books, etc. At the end of the day, children need to take their own book bag home, so they need to be given back to the right child. Most schools make all pupils have them in the school colours, which makes this more difficult.

Most people don't put them inside a larger bag to carry home. Some do, eg if they're cycling or have other things to carry. Later in primary school, pupils start having a "school bag" (eg rucksack).

I'm a DSP and definitely think it's a safeguarding issue. I'm also a mum and think it's a damn rude of them issue, too, to write on your belongings!

Id be pissed off enough to stop using the bag.

We have an annoyingly unusual surname, and I have a public online presence thanks to my job. I absolutely WOULD NOT want my kid being identifiable by name at a distance.

Do you not have anything better to do? With all due respect, it's not a big deal.

"defaced our personal property" is a bit OTT.

Not really if the op wanted to sell it once finished with it.

Your DD wouldn't be carrying her book bag on trips or walks.

It's so annoying having a pile of book bags and having to search for the name. There isn't enough room to hang them on pegs.

At one point most kids had 4/5 fluffy animals key rings on theirs. They took so much room up.

Did you pay for the bag or did school?

When you're walking to school carry it with the name facing inwards.

It would really piss me off. YANBU

I have a public facing job and don't want my child identified.

We bought the bag, not the school.

Perhaps, if they'd said, "we'd like to make it easier to sort the kids bags out - what do you think?" We'd have replied with some of the great suggestions by previous posters.

Initials would be easy.

Instead, without asking, they scrawled in bold black marker over our new bags.

There were clearly better ways of doing it as PPs have suggested.

YANBU when my my son started reception I naively sewed (badly) his name label onto the back shoulder bit on the back of the coat, thinking it would make it easier for him to find. It occurred to me later in the summer hols that someone could see his name and pretend that they know him. Now I know at 4-5 they are never on their own but the realisation unnerved me. Labels off of the outside tout de suite and painful fingers from trying to find somewhere inside the coat to sew them (it was a reversible jacket). Still glad I did it though

YANBU

I was always told not to wear things like name badges or headbands with my name on back when I were a kid - I doubt that advice has changed so much that it's now A-OK for kids to wander around with their full name on display

YANBU.

Yeah I'd be pissed off.

However our school has kids names embroidered on them, fairly big in white! Until I read this thread I thought this was a good idea. Should I be complaining about this?!

I don't think YABU at all.

Lots of our children have their names all over their stuff but their parents have done it, not us. Teachers shouldn't be making that choice for the parents.

I think that where most of the schools on this thread are going wrong is putting all the identical bookbags in a pile/box so they get mixed up. Why would they want to give themselves that hassle?! If they go in each child's locker/on their peg then they don't need to be easily identifiable anyway.

Namelessinseattle I also wanted to know what a book bag was😁

WyfOfBathe Thanks for answering.
When dd1 was at school 20+ years ago they didn't have them.
When dd2 goes to school in 2 years, I'll now know what a book bag is.