Secondary school bags for girls

[SophiaWinters]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and hope that I'm posting this question in the right place!

My daughter will be starting secondary school in September and has asked for a new school bag. She doesn't want to use a rucksack which she has been using at primary school.

We have been looking around online trying to find something suitable. Many of the girls we have noticed use bags similar to those in this link www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Gola-Redford-Messenger-Shoulder/dp/B004WJTE9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340482142&sr=8-1 however my daughter doesn't like these.

She has seen this bag www.amazon.co.uk/ROXY-CITRUS-SHOULDER-BAG-Lost/dp/B004KS3L5O/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1X3PZJM9JTWSM&coliid=I5E1RQZ6J5CJO do you think it would be suitable? I want to make sure we don't buy something only to find that after a few weeks it's not suitable or that what my daughter thinks now is a good bag will not be seen that way at secondary school.

What bags do your daughters use and what is popular at secondary school for girls right now?

My DD had a rucksack in yr7 but that wouldn't do for yr8. I asked advice here and lots of people said 'Gola' - DD was most disdainful. She said those were for people who wanted to look cool but weren't. She was also very meh about 'designer' brands. She's a goat not a sheep

She ended up with a 'Funky Filly' messenger bag - its big enough for A4 folders, has compartments for pens, phone etc, strap which can go cross body if necessary and is robustly made. Also it's navy so the bottom doesn't show the dirt.

If you get a bag which is too small, your DD will find she needs to add carrier bags at times which she won't like.

My dd must go to the School For Geeks, because two years into secondary she's still fine with the rucksack that she used in Yr 6. And those shoes with straps across the middle, which is just as well because they're the only ones that suit her feet. After seeing a few threads here I was a bit sceptical, but most of the other girls seem to be similar.

Just ordered this rucksack for DD.

You won't go wrong with Jansport, they are well made. Wish my daughter liked something made by them but she's screwed her nose up at everything we've seen on their website.

OwlsonStrings I'm pleased that this school has strict guidelines on shoes so my daughter will be getting something very plain, flat and with a strap across the middle, quite similar to her primary school shoes.

DD1 is now on her 3rd pair of exactly the same soft casual strap across the middle Clarks ladies shoes, if they stop making them we are sunk.

She likes boots, but they are forbidden and won't wear court shoes/ pumps.

These are the most popular bags at my DD1/DS school. That or oversized bags from Primark/River Island/Topshop wherever They wouldn't dream of carrying a rucksack, from what I hear that is setting yourself up for a fall so I'd go with what your DD wants.

My DD1 currently uses one of my old Reiss bags, but she also carries a cotton tote type thingy folded up with her. Be careful about how much space you think you will need. I sent both of mine off with the huge equipment lists and after a few weeks they only took about 25% of it if that. Also i always planned for a different bag for pe kits.

Same here Owls. Dd and her friends all have rucksacks because they have loads of books and it is very heavy.She would never get all her stuff into a messenger bag or those Gola or whatever bags. And they wear the Clarks or Clarks type shoes with velcro straps across!! Actually quite a lot of them do, even the oldest children, which I was quite surprised about.

Have to say I quite like it, Ibiza .

So are cath kidston bags 'out' then?
My dd has wanted one all through Y6 but I wouldn't buy her one, but have promised her a new bag for starting secondary.

I don't enter to pens a fortune on a bag, only for it to be dismissed 2 weeks into the new term!

I like it too, Owls.And its funny because i see some older girls wearing a skirt with long school socks on and that really surprised me. Some of the girls i see wear the really flat and flimsy shoes that flop up and down because there is no support and they look ridiculous to me. Much prefer sensible shoes! And dd just likes plain shoes but with her its a case of not much choice as she is a size 7 and very wide feet - they are over the H fitting in Clarks. Its the stationery that gets my dd excited. She can't wait until all the back to school stuff comes into the shops.

Dd starts yr 7 in sept. She already has a gola bag and will keep that for now. Lots of older girls round here have them.

I'm worried about shoes. She's got hush puppies at the minute with a Velcro strap. I'm aware that all the girls in her year have got the slip on ballerina type shoes. But I also know that those shoes can cause foot problems as you're having to grip with your toes quite a bit to keep them on. So not sure what I can get her which is sensible but won't have her targeted for being a geek!

I agree about the over sized handbags - no one uses a rucksack. Primark and River Island do good cheap ones, but we are on our third this year as buckles and straps break - not sure they are designed for school bus abuse. For PE they use Jack Wills carrier bags (the paper type things). I go in , buy a pen for 99p and ask for a big bag - they always oblige as know what the kids use it for. Makes me laugh when I pick up after netball as all the bags are the same, and they moan about having to wear a uniform ! For shoes, we are using Next for this term and I'll go back in battle next term about proper shoes for winter.

Marking my place here.

DD is very small and is still only in junior size 13 at Clarkes. I haven't even though about bags, shoes etc. Luckily DD has an induction afternoon later so i'll have a good look at what the girls are using.

DD is very much a follower and I try and push her into having the 'latest' fashions as I know girls are cruel and she has additional needs as it is. . I'm trying to prevent rather than act once things start!

Anyway, does anyone with little feet know where I could get more 'fashionable' but sturdy shoes.

Brantano seem to have a lot of shoes that look quite trendy. Mainly Blox shoes, not sure what the quality is like.

I'll try there, Viva. To be fair her shoes have always lasted alot longer than they've needed to.

Whole identical thread to this last year - I was told my dd would effectively get her head flushed down the toilet if i dared send her in with anything as declasse as a rucksack. I ignored it and got dd a rucksack, as the school states it prefers. Nearly a year on, all the other girls have rucksacks and the ones that don't have permanently damaged shoulders - my dd carries what in my day would have been the entire contents of her desk around with her all day every day. She's actually on her third rucksack now as the 1st two broke under the weight - we went for a reliable brand for the last one (not trendy, just solid).

If your dd goes to a school where having the 'right' bag i a make-or-break moment, you have to question if this school really has the values you wish your dd to learn...

Thats a very good post Bread. I know DD lives by school rules and is on her induction day today. If she is told what she is not allowed to do, she will make sure she follows it to the letter, regardless of what I say anyway.

Ouch B&B !! I think it's fair to say some girls are more into fashion than others. My eldest couldn't have cared less and frequently used her dad's scruffy old sports bag, but for some girls it really does matter, like my current year 7. No reflection on either the school or the parents; just some people care about these things and some don't (like me !). Think the OP just wants her kid to fit in and it obviously matters to her, so why not try and help.

From what I hear about dd's school it does promote the sort of values I would wish dd to learn. It is known for its good pastoral care and zero tolerance of bullying.

However I am also very aware that settling into a new school is a big deal and that 11yo/12yo girls can be shallow. DD has had friendship problems in the past and I have no wish for her to be shunned/made fun of due to having "the wrong bag". If I can make things a bit easier for her by making sure she has a bag that isn't going to single her out as being "untrendy" then yes I'm going to do that.

I have memories of being at secondary school and being the only girl in school who wasn't allowed to wear jeans for discos/meeting with friends at weekends, etc. I remember a nice, more with it girl explaining to me that a lot of the other girls didn't want to know me as they thought I was "sad", etc as I was so uncool.

Oh Viva, your time at secondary sounds like mine - it's definitely the reason why I try to push it more than she would probably like.

DD has also had bullying issues (as did I) regarding her ways, so i'm certainly trying to cover the cracks before they appear.

Secondary age dc uses an English National Ballet rucksack, her younger sister has a Cath Kidston rucksack. Though she dislikes, and actively avoids, anything deemed by her to be fashionable or mainstream.

Breadandbutter the school my daughter will be going to is a very good school and I have no concerns about their values.

I would like her to feel confident about fitting in and as I'm happy to buy her a new bag for school if should be something she likes and something that is practical - if I was happy for my daughter to buy any old rubbish purely to fit in then I wouldn't have asked the question and I wouldn't be investing time to look for something that is right.

A poorly designed/cheap rucksack that is overloaded can cause back problems so please don't believe that a rucksack rules out potential health problems. The problem lies in children carrying far too many books with them. There are lockers at this school which means the girls only need to carry a few books with them at any one time. All homework is generally set on the internet so books don't need to come home with them every day.

Sophia, you are doing the right thing as it will make your DD feel more confident - mine loves people commenting on her choice of bag. Shallow -yes, Do I care -No ! If it helps them settle why not let them have a trendy bag. As I said I think River Island, Primark and Top Shop all do good ones - at the moment anything looking like a handbag crossed with a satchel seems to be 'in'. But at start of the year it was the fake Paul's boutique look (yuck !!!). Good luck and happy shopping - my DD loves dragging me round shops to buy her a new bag, followed by a coffee, using her Costa card.

OP - glad to hear you are looking for a bag your dd likes rather than one that is fashionable per se.

I suppose I have always brought my dd up to be herself rather than pandering to fashion - to be if not a leader then certainly not a blind follower either; to trust her own judgement - and for integrity rather than following the pack to be her aim. That being the case, I'd be somewhat of a hypocrite if my first move on her starting a new school was to buy her a 'clone' bag that was not particularly to her taste.

By the way, OP - my dd's school does have lockers but it is a big school and a long schlep back to the lockers - so all the girls prefer to carry their stuff round with them. Don't assume that lockers = a light bag, unles it's a very small school or they have all their lessons in one small area.

Viva - shame about the bullying but ultimately anyone who dissed you because you wore x and not y was probably not worth it anyway. Their loss.