To hate bloody book bags?

[Rainallnight]

Why are book bags a thing? They are annoying, uncomfortable to carry and can’t sensibly hold anything else. Which means I end up carrying them plus whatever other bag is needed for DCs’ bits and pieces.

Why can’t reading books be put in an ordinary backpack? Is there something I’m missing?

@notanothertakeaway no the OP means a flap over bag that children take to school. They are very slim and the kids in the younger years carry their reading books, reading diary in them. My year 2 son also takes a small backpack with his waterbottle and snack box in. Their p e kits go in at the beginning of term and are sent home at half terms.

@HappyDays40

Don't buy one just buy a rucksack?

The parent wouldn't be allowed to leave one at our school generally. They'd be sent home with it and asked not to send it in again. We genuinely don't have the room for 30 rucksacks. The bag needs to fit in the child's drawer.

You can buy a strap to attach to book bags which means they can wear them instead! There are also water bottle straps.

As others have said they fit in drawers so adults can easily put in letters, change reading books etc without going through bags in the corridor.

They keep books and reading records flat and stop them being squashed by anything else/leaked on by bottles etc. Same with letters, colouring, work that needs to go home.
Rucksacks take up a lot of space, are fussed over by children having endless amounts of pockets on them, not finding things and encourage them to take in things they don’t need. Also it’s an added expense for lots of families having to buy a rucksack - book bags are often a lot cheaper and there are plenty for sale second hand (also a stash given for free for those that need it).

Our school banned rucksacks as they were taking up too much room in the cloakroom. Most of the girls were using the daft massive smiggle rucksacks to carry a book and a water bottle

1. We can't fit rucksacks on pegs as the cloakroom is so small the pegs are really close together.

2. When we're having to put newsletters, children's work, change reading books etc it is sooo much faster just to go through their bookbag trays rather than collecting up 60 rucksacks!

Book bags are a pain, and just seemed to be used in reception in our primary, after that , we had to buy backpacks.

In lockdown our school banned the use of backpacks, and we could use carrier bags ( welcome back to the 1980’s )
They were supposed to wash these down and disinfect them, but the children don’t think they ever were, so damn carrier bags for school it was :-(.

@Rainallnight

But what trays? Why can’t bags just be hung up with their stuff?

Because it would take longer for the teacher to check them? I used to put them in a box, a bulky back pack would play havoc with my system and then it would be disrupted when a child wanted to get something out. Every second counts.

We have book bags in infants. Backpacks are a rite of passage for juniors. I don't mind them. They keep books and paper flat and are stored in the child's tray in the classroom.

Our PTA sells 'bottle buddies' which clip on to the book bag strap and allow you to carry a bottle of water as well.

Book bags are bloody useless. DS1's had no corners left after yR as he grabbed the straps wrongly by the longest way and it dragged on the ground.
You can't put anything else in them such as jumpers and water bottles. We walk to school and I'm not a bloody pack horse.

School bags were banned last school year coz Covid. DS1 survived the entire year without catching Covid of his laptop bag. DS2 kept dropping his book and water bottles onto a damp playground so we used a bag for life. They seemed to be acceptable as a Covid risk... maybe it's because they're a suffocation risk?

We have book bags for first 3 years of school, rucksacks are not allowed. My kids have lunch box that holds water bottle and has long carry strap. Kids wear their pe clothes on set day each week.

Op you are so right. They are a pain. Yanbu.

All the classes in our school have small cloakrooms, thirty pegs on which the children keep a forest school bag each, a PE bag, plus a coat and jumpers sometimes. Basically the pegs are overloaded already and are spaced about 4 inches apart.

Things end up all over the floor every single day without adding thirty bulky backpacks too.

I didn't understand it as a parent, but now I work there I totally get it. Generally the rules that seem ridiculous aren't there to make life awkward for parents, just to make school life a lot simpler.

Our school have a cheap bag for £5 then the expensive one for £15. The £15 one is much more durable and has a shoulder strap. It’s much easier for a child to carry.

I don’t carry book bags. But I did buy the easy to carry one.

YANBU. DC's primary school have backpacks, although some children intriguingly have book bags and backpacks. Sometimes the book bag is placed inside the backpack, like a Russian doll^^ of inefficiency

Because people put water bottles in other bags, with books, and they get ruined.

A book bag is hardly cumbersome and most kids have grown out of them by year 2 or 3 anyway.

The backpacks I bought had a water bottle holder at the side so nothing got ruined of it leaked. Bags taken into the classroom. PE kit in backpack

At our school they all went in a box so teachers could check reading books, add homework/newsletter etc without rummaging around on the coat hooks.

Get them to carry their own when you can. You’re not a donkey.

To keep reading books away from water bottles.

Backpacks are huge and classrooms are small. Book bags take so much less space!

Most kids at our school don't use book bags after Y1 and go to rucksacks or other bags. I'm very strict about children putting water bottles in the external holders on the side of the bag and not chucking them in the bag where they leak all over everything.

My pet hate when going through book bags to find reading journals is when you open up the bag of a smoker's child and it absolutely stinks - also their journal and reading books stink of smoke. Once or twice I've had to report it when books come back smelling of weed that mum/dad are smoking while listening to child read...

I hated bookbags. But I hate seeing parents carrying book bags even more. My kids old headteacher did too. I had an ally in getting kids to carry their own. New head not so much. I bet he carries his kids bookbag for them.

Why do you do that people? If no parent carried them no kids would even think to moan. They would just accept that they carry their reading book home from school in the same way that they carry it to the cloakroom door.

@SpamIAm

We're not allowed any bags because of Covid. On her worst day my daughter has to carry Lunch bag Water bottle Fruit snack Library book Reading book Key word card

We were supposed to send her in with £1 the other day as well which just tipped us over the edge 🙈

Can’t believe your school is still not allowing bags due to COVID. There’s nothing in the guidance that says that. Has the school been placed in amber Zone due to meeting the threshold for positive cases? Even then, guidance does not say children can’t bring in bags.

At my son's school, every child was given a bookbag for free when they started in reception. His has a shoulder strap attached and I set the expectation back then that he carries it. He is now in y2 and he still uses it and carries it himself every day. He also carries his water bottle in his hand separately (books and water don't mix!). In his book bag he also takes his fruit for snack and his glasses case. There's even room for a "pack-a-mac" when the weather is brighter! We have put a small keyring and reflective sticker so it's easy to identify. I am a book bag fan!