Backpack for Reception

[Timide]

I'm not quite sure what to get as we have moved countries and my child hasn't been to school yet. And no friends with school aged children.
So the backpack. Do they put a lot of stuff into it in reception? Are the books heavy? Do your children carry a pe bag/lunch separately? What size are the books: A4, A3? Do they last or get destroyed within days?
We have a skip hop backpack but I guess it is too small.
(No uniform requirements re bags)
Thanks!

Reception aged children don't have to carry anything other than their reading book/record and maybe some paper for homework. Many schools have a specific reading folder for those things. PE kit goes in a separate bag.

Usually a book bag, like a fabric briefcase with a school logo on.

Oh ok! Glad I've asked. I was looking for smth ergonomic, a hard shell, long lasting

DS leaves his PE kit at school and brings it home every so often for washing. He has 3 very light reading books and a reading journal but that is in his book bag. He takes lunch some days but quite often has school lunch as they are all entitled to free school meals at that age. The only thing he has in his backpack is a change of clothes, water bottle and this time of year sun cream and a hat.

Just a book bag (ours has school logo on it), drawstring PE bag & lunch bag if needed (school trips & days they don't want the school dinner). They might need a backpack for school trips but not always.
Oh & a water bottle.

Our school specifies a book bag for reception children and a separate drawstring pe bag, both available from the school's chosen uniform supplier. So probably worth checking with the school what's expected in your case.

Have you had a meeting/introductory information yet? If not, I'd hold off buying anything until you have to see what is expected. At my DC's school Reception children weren't allowed rucksacks as they had no where to put them.

My daughter is in reception. She has a book bag bought from school which has her reading book and record in. It also gets letters / forms / invitations/ artwork sent home in it. PE kits live in school and get sent home at the end of each half term for washing. She has school dinners (provided free to all reception children) and the only thing she takes in daily is a water bottle

Our school gave every child a book bag on first day of reception. They provide stationary so the only thing she had to take in was her lunch box as she didn't like hot dinners.

They wore PE kit to school on PE days.

My dd is in reception. Their backpacks just have a change of clothes and a water bottle. Very light. You only need a very small one

Wait a bit. Our school also ask for no backpacks due to space. They carry a light reading book and book log (A5 usually) and water bottle daily in a book bag. PE bag (plus any spare clothes needed) stays at school all half term.

Check with school. Ours won’t allow anything other than the book bag they issue.

Most of our YR children have backpacks with spare clothes in/lunchboxes, but use bookbags for actual school stuff. Might be an idea to check about PE , since Covid all the children come to school in PE kit on PE days and stay in them all day, saves a lot of time with the little ones.

Whatever you decide, please put their name on it, trying to match 4 identical backpacks to children who have no idea which one is theirs after they've been knocked off pegs is not always fun 🙂

In England they all get free school meals but they can bring a packed lunch if preferred. My child takes an afternoon snack (morning fruit or veg snack provided) and water bottle. Depending on the time of year, hat/gloves or sun hat/sun glasses in bag. Bags have to fit inside school drawer. DD uses a toddler size backpack but I’m struggling to find something similar for my youngest. A separate homework bag is provided by school.

Forest school waterproof and wellies are taken in a carrier bag and they have a separate swimming bag as need (one half term every year from reception). They are still wearing PE uniform all day on their Pe days which means they are only uniform 3 days a week.

Thank you! We will stick to what we have got already then. I'm glad I asked.

Check with school - we just have book bags at ours and backpacks aren't allowed, if they need to take anything else it has to be in a drawstring bag (PE type) as there's not space in the cloakrooms for anything else!

Hold off until you know what you need. Have you joined the year facebook group? You will probably find people there who have older children and they are great for advising this sort of thing.

FWIW 9 times out of 10 its bookbag only for reception