Book bag/backpack?

[misscph1973]

Hi everyone, I am not normally very active here, but I really need the advice of seasoned English mums re book bags/backpacks!

I am from Denmark and I have now been in the UK for 4 years. The school system is very different from what I am used to but overall I am happy with my children's school and so are they.

Now book bags... We tried them (from the school's uniform shop), and they are not great, they can't hold anything but a few thin books (hence the name I guess) and they are quite flimsy. So we got sturdy backpacks (kid sizes, not backpacker style) and they love them. This is what I had when I was a child, and they can hold the books, jumper/cardigan, water bottle etc.

I just got the newsletter from school and part of it was:

"Recently staff have raised concerns that some children are starting to arrive at school with large bags/ rug sacks (sic). These are too large to hang safely in our corridor and pose a trip hazard. Please can you help the school to maintain a safe environment by only sending PE and book bags into school. Thank you for your anticipated support."

I just think that is plain silly. I am very careful with the school uniforms, I really try my best to always send my kids in school in proper uniform, maybe because I am foreign I really don't want my kids to look any different than the other kids. But I am really disappointed that back packs all of a sudden are not allowed.

Can they do this? Should I ignore it? Should I explain to the head (who is very nit-picky and particular, but I actually get on fine with her regardless) that it is not on and just over the top?

I would appreciate your views, opinions and advice.

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Hello, this thread is a little old now and some of the links are out of date. Take a look at this handy page for a round up of the best backpacks, chosen by Mumsnetters.

Well if it was me I would ignore. We walk nearly a mile to school and each of my 3 dc's have a back pack with their lunch, books and any other kit in they need. Also rain coats in summer

If you have sensibly chosen the smallest bags you can then ignore the letter.

(I am assuming each bag has a large enough hook for them to hang up)

my kids have huge backpacks to fit in everything they need, they have book bags inside to hold their books as these go into their 'trays' and the backpacks stay in the corridor. If you are worried about the letter maybe talk to the class teacher and see if an alternative can be found (bags stored elsewhere if too big for the corridor)

Sounds a bit mad to me, I guess if children leave them on the floor etc it might be a hazzard. Mine have rucksacs as they hold their book bags, lunch, drink, any show + share stuff, and pe kit when the school can be bothered to send it home for washing they sometimes go on walking bus on their own and means they have it all in one bag, and the rest of the week I only have to carry two bags while they scoot. I would see whether anyone else complies, and follow sheeplike, but you could ask whether as an alternative they can find somewhere else to put rucksacs. YANBU

Thanks, whyme2, and yes, I have chosen small bags, suitable for small children (they are 5 and 7), and yes, the bags have hooks to hang up.

I have considered getting a folder for their papers and books, as I know the teachers like to put the book bags in the drawers as it is more convenient, but that a back pack is a hazard is just ridiculous.

Thanks, 3duracellbunnies. I am going to talk to a mum I knnow who is in the PA and another mum I know who always complains to the teachers about just about anything ;)

StaceymReadyForNumber3, I am really please that it is not only my children who use backpacks! I felt like this newsletter was written to me personally when I saw it ;)

Am definitely going to talk to headteacher about this. The corridors are actually very spacious, so it really is ridiculous.

Our school has backpacks from year 3 the children hang them on the back of their chairs.

Lizcat, that's what we did in Denmark back in the 1970's! It's just so much easier. I hope that they will do that when my daughter starts junior school after the summer.

Ignore, book bags are unless. Nowhere for packed lunches or PE kit, but the main problem was drinks.

Backpacks have external pockets made for drink bottles, they stay stood up. I dried out one too many soggy reading books ever to go back to book bags.

British primary schools are keen on sending out letters, British Mothers are good at putting them in the recycling. I'm not sure this does much for British childrens' respect for authority, but it probably explains a lot about the way this country muddles it's way along.

startail:

"British primary schools are keen on sending out letters, British Mothers are good at putting them in the recycling."

LOL

Maybe I take the school's authority too serious. Perhaps I should be more British ;)

I'm feeling very cynical this term, we have had a pointless debacle about only water to drink. Lots of grumpy children moaning to hassled Mums. In the end the HT hasn't enforced anything.

startail, it sounds familiar. They seem to stop enforcing anything if it is too much trouble. Then again, as you pointed out, it is quite common for parents to just ignore whatever they don't agree with. I guess it's a 2 way street (is that how you say it?).

I think they should have only water in schools (I think even milk till they are 5 is silly). Our school only says "no fizzy drinks".

We had the same issue. I am German and find the system very confusing. And we bought a rucksack as well.

But: I can't see a reason for DD to take her rucksack to school.
DD is on school dinners, so it is only the book, reading diary and her waterbottle. That is generally ok to deal with.

Fridays we get the homework book, a thinish A4-workbook.

PE kit stays at school and the children are encouraged to wear hooded coats all the year to deal with sudden rainfalls.

I have her bookbag and waterbottle on my bike when I bring her to school. If I drive I carry it the 5 minutes to the gate. It is not that she has to carry it for 20 minutes walking/scootering.

It will change when she goes to Junior as they have to bring their own stationery but in Infant everything is supplied by the school.

I saw the corridors and with the PE kits already hanging on the wall a rucksack is just too much. We are talking about a 1930 building, extended in the Sixties.

We had issue with dd's school book bag not being strong enough to carry her school paraphernalia - the velcro fastening kept pulling open.

We invested in a leather satchel like this

This gets hung on her coat peg and then she takes a folder like this into class and puts it in the book bag storage box.

It would appear that the class teacher thought the folders were a great idea as they take up less space in the classroom and so most of the pupils have them now.

We had the same trouble when DC (now 17, 15 and 13) were at primary school. We walked over a mile to school each morning and I also took my friend's two DC. I stood firm on this. The school did not want backpacks, but I could not cross the roads properly if each DC was holding a bookbag. They needed both hands free. From the school I got the impression it was all about aesthetics and not about healthy walking, etc or they couldn't see the ramifications of encouraging walking to school.

I just stood firm and sent in letter after letter, telling the DC that they needed to tell me if they had trouble about the backpacks.

I would ignore rather than talk to the head; that way, you can just pretend to be one of the many parents who don't read the newsletter. She won't want to back down if she has just put it in the newsletter but may realise she is fighting a losing battle.

My dd1 has a backpack - it's much better than trying to carry a lunch bag and book bag to school.

I agree with 3duracellbunnies and others.

My Ds has a rucksack in which he puts his school book bag, school PE bag, lunch, whatever else he needs. It makes sense.

At our school the book bags go into plastic crates in the classroom depending on which group the child is in so that the teachers can easily slip the right letters, homework, books etc into the bags. Maybe this is the issue. Our school certainly wouldn't allow a different type of bag. The bag is effectively part of the uniform. The Velcro on ours is also rubbish and I have solved this by sewing a large button onto the front around which a loop of elastic can be stretched. This stops the bag from falling open when it's full.

What a fab idea giving, Dd3's school had new uniform and matching books bags in September and we have been asked not to use back packs due to a space problem.

I love the book bag and can usually fit Dd3's stuff including her lunch bag into it but it does keep coming undone. I think I will sew a nice matching button on to it. Thankyou.

Backpacks used to be prohibited in Yr4 due to lack of space - narrow corridors - but DD2 is now in the new build where they have lockers so backpacks are fine. The old section is being revamped too so will have storage for backpacks when DD is in Yr6.

School book bags are not compulsory (but are v cheap) but I'd probably have one if they were more satchel-like - as they are, they just don't hold wet weather gear, water bottle, winter gear, pencil case, homework log, snacks for at after school club and so on. Backpacks are essential.

DD1's school (a middle school) doesn't even have a school book bag.

dds school only allow book bags and we manage fine? packed lunched go in lunch box - which makes sense to me - the bags go in their tray for school work and lunches go to the hall - less hazards like they say. Water bottle stays in school mon-fri and teachers top it up as needed.

It is a primary school so she doesn't even need to take a pencil - her book bag literally only has a book in!

i suppose its different for secondary but i would have thought book bag fine.

Book bag and separate packed lunch bag/water bottle is fine if you drive to school or have a younger sibling in a buggy. Not so great if everyone walks and needs to carry their own stuff. That's why we bought DD2 a back-pack, in any case. Their cloakroom is not massive, but the school seem perfectly happy with back-packs.

treas, love the satchel, it's even more expensive than my kid's backpacks!

noramum, thanks for the German view! I would ride my bike to school and the kids on theirs in true Danish style, but we only live 5 min away and the road is too busy. We go on bike rides on Sunday mornings, nice and quiet ;)

Thanks for all your views. I think I am going to not talk to head teacher, but not ignore either (and the head knows I read the newsletter as I often comment on something in it). I am not going to make a big deal out of it but I am not going to get a book bag either as it simply doesn't work with my kids. They can have a folder for their papers and books but everything goes in the backpack which hangs neatly and un-bulky in the spacious corridor (buildings date back to 1910, not sure how much is original).

We drive, but there still seems to be something about gathering all your junk together in one place that works.

I think the beauty is you only have to check you have everything once in the morning and once in an evening.

You notice if you haven't got your back pack or it feels very light on games day.

You don't notice you've put your lunch down to open the door, when carrying PE Kit, flute and book bag separately.

My 6 yr old uses a laptop bag, one of the thin ones from WH Smith. Its similiar in size to a book bag but its stronger, slightly padded and has a zip instead of that useless velcro. Also it has a funky star pattern.

School is cool with it