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Original poster

Pegs and lockers at secondary - does your child's school have them?

23 replies

Nevada · 20/09/2005 08:58

My dd's secondary school doesn't have any lockers or pegs as far as I know. Children have to carry their coats and heavy bags round with them all day.
Particularly bad this am for dd as she has food technology.

Is this normal these days? I'm ringing the Head of Year 7 at my dd's school this am to talk about this (and some other issues) and wondered what other schools did.

OP posts:

jayzmummy · 20/09/2005 09:04

None at DS1's school.
He was packed of to school today with his Games Kit, Food tech and art folder...his bad weighed a ton!!
Plus its raining here so he has to carry his wet coat around with him all day....not on and I am gong to have words with his head of year when I next see him

potty1 · 20/09/2005 09:07

Pretty common I'm afraid - my children's school doesn't have them. Dd has been given a locker as she is physically unable to carry all her stuff due to a medical problem - you wouldn't believe the rigmarole in getting it sorted!

flamesparrow · 20/09/2005 09:08

I was appalled to hear that my goddaughter doesn't have anywhere to store anything during the day. Her bag looks so heavy in the mornings, and she has to lug all those books round every day.

How is it meant to promote healthy backs etc???

NannyL · 20/09/2005 09:38

OMG.... when i was at secondary school (6 years ago) we all had a locker (and NEEDED it) esp when yo u consider all those heavy text books / lunch / PEkit / technology folder / coat etc

i wouldnt have even imagined that schools would not provide them

Sherbert37 · 20/09/2005 09:40

We have the same problem. My DS1 is not a big lad and weighs about 5 stone. His bag weighed 1 stone the other day, so he is carrying around a fifth of his body weight all day! He only started a few weeks ago and is already fed up with me pulling up his shoulder straps (apparently it is trendy to have your bag bouncing off your bum!).

littlemissbossy · 20/09/2005 09:42

No pegs or lockets at my ds's school either although if he has food tech they can take any items and put them in the fridge so that helps. But has to carry his bag and sports stuff around all day.

joanna4 · 20/09/2005 12:42

My sons school have them but the kids still have not been assigned them I was told it might be a couple of more weeks.I have started giving him a rucksack to try and balance the weight a bit.

Moomin · 20/09/2005 12:52

No pegs or lockers at the secondary school I teach at. We did have lockers for a while but they were vandalised and the Head abandoned the idea. Security is a big issue at high schools, hence no pegs. But there are some compromises possible: like littlemissbossy said, Food Tech teachers allow stuff to be dropped off with them in the mornings so they don't have to be hauled around. Form teachers will also let kids in the forms leave bags in the form rooms at lunchtime, which are then locked.

I do sympathise, esp when I see the little y7s arriving in Sept with bags as big as themselves!

Moomin · 20/09/2005 12:55

oh yes, and at our school, text books don't go home - they are kept in departments. HW is organised so that text books are not needed - it's done on worksheets and in folders.
I agree that rucksacks are generally the best bags in situations like this.

dramaqueen72 · 20/09/2005 12:57

our school has lockers. just getting ds and dd to use them properly and not lug fifty heavy books around everyday is hard work!

Original poster

Nevada · 20/09/2005 13:20

Well, I spoke to the Head of Year 7. Dd is meant to drop off her stuff in food technology before registration. Dd was unsure of this.

Head of Year 7 said that they didn't have pegs because of the security issue. Apparently stuff was stolen all the time.
They don't have lockers because in the past they've lost too much lesson time when kids had to go and get books they'd forgotten.

I can see what she means, but it's still a lot to carry about, particularly in the winter when you've got a heavy, wet coat.

OP posts:

happymerryberries · 20/09/2005 13:57

We don't have lockers. We don't have the funding or space for them, and I can see that they could be a problem re time.

They do have a peg (and year 7 have a separate cloak room) but are advised not to leave anything valuable there.

They don't have heavy text books though, we don't have enough to give them text books to take home

Kids drop off food tec/ musical instruments

happymerryberries · 20/09/2005 13:58

Oh and today my year 7s had managed to forget a trumpet, a trombone, a pe kit and food for food tec. 5 had forgotten their home work diaries (again!)

bless

Original poster

Nevada · 20/09/2005 14:10

hmb, promise me they get better.
Dd has forgotten a lot of stuff already and if she does it again (for certain teachers), she'll get a detention.

OP posts:

happymerryberries · 20/09/2005 14:48

2.5 weeks in mine show no signs as yet. I have made them write a reminder on their hand (not those with skin problems) an have stuck reminders in their planners and I have also warned them that soon there will be a Detention on the horizon!

Milliways · 20/09/2005 18:17

No lockers etc at DD's school, although sometimes teachers in form rooms have a lockable cupboard for PE kits etc.

Big bags? Oh no, v.unfasionable. Need lots of little string bags or handbag type things now!

MarsLady · 20/09/2005 18:36

yes!

roisin · 20/09/2005 18:45

Ours don't have pegs, but they have lockers if they want them. Some lockers are in the corridors, which is OK, but many lockers are in the form (registration) rooms - which is not ideal IMO; as there are very limited times when they have guaranteed access to them.

In practice most kids carry all their stuff around with them all day.

happymerryberries · 20/09/2005 18:47

Most of the classrooms wouldn't have room for them as the school rooms can be rather small

twirlaround · 20/09/2005 18:54

The kids should be using trolley bags with wheels or they will wreck their spines

Leilani · 21/09/2005 21:05

I remember it was the same when I was at school not so many moons ago. I used to hate the days when I had heavy textbooks, workbooks, cookery items and all....I used to have very achy shoulders come Friday! Now sdd has just began secondary school, I think it's just the same...poor thing. Most of them are only bigger than their rucksacks by an inch or two!

kath4kids · 21/09/2005 21:43

Nope none at ours either, i've seen my dd go to school with lunch, cookery, p.E kit, cornet, clarinet and drum sticks. Oh yes and coat. it's no wonder she forgets to bring things home.

mumeeee · 22/09/2005 13:32

Yes this is normal. There are some lockers at my childrens school but you have to pay for a key for them ( only a £1 and you get back at the end of the year). Most children don't get one so most kids including mine carry thier stuff ariund all day. When my DD has violin she is allowed to leave it locked in the cupboard in the music room and she drops off her food tech stuff in the food tech room.

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