school bags for secondary - advice please

[millietwoshoes]

DD is off to secondary school in september and I would really love to buy her a coloured leather satchel as a treat - is this a complete waste of time nowadays? - is it large enough for their needs?
Thanks

Is she going on a transition visit in June/July?

I would get her to have a gander at what everyone else has when she gets there and also I bet they will have some current yr7's helping out - get her to ask and do some research.

In my school that I work at (secondary) the girls have the Cath Kidston type of satchel bags.

Just asked DS2 (yr8) - different school, he said the girls have Paul's Boirique bags, messenger bags, handbags and the oily cloth Cath Kidston bags as above.

NO leather satchels.

Was just going to post the same as Bella basically!

The most important thing at secondary is not whether it is large enough for their needs but whether it is 'cool' enough or seriously sad.

Ridiculous, but socially vital unless you want DD to be mocked, I'm afraid. Kids can be evil at picking up on the fact that you have something that makes you stand out.

I don't know what bags are cool at the moment, but I haven't seen any coloured leather satchels in school, I have to say.

boutique

Dd started off with a pleather messenger bag, gola I think. But it wasn't big enough, she "needed" to be able to fit her PE kit in as well. So now has a weekend bag from Accessorize.

Lots of girls seem to have these types, and massive handbags from Primark. Bonus points for what I'd call "tapestry" effect.

thanks - lots of advice here, will look at boutique & cath kidston.

Start with something cheap, they will change their mind, change it back again and finally find a compromise between practical and fashionable.

DD2 started with a cheap Adidas mess anger bag, used various stupid too small handbags. Got me to buy her sensible animal rucksack. used it for two weeks and went back to the original messenger bag Grrrrrr!

DD1 just uses a sensible outdoor shop ruck sack, properly designed for school with safe places for phone, iPod, lunch card and a pocket on the outside for her drink. DD1 knows she will never be cool and couldn't give a monkeys.

Wnever been much of an issue here. We have had a Paperchase rucksack, a manga messenger bag and now have a canvas rucksack And canvas essenger bag with cats on. The rucksack needs to be repaired. One of dd's friends has a scarlet satchel thing but on the whole I don't think it's something dd cares about but she doesn't care about that sort of stuff anyway. Neither does DS really. Both use light nylon sports bag things for PE kit.

Wait until you have had the uniform sheet - only plain black bags with no logo are allowed at DS's school.

Not all secondary school children have access to a locker, and even when they do, it's sometimes the other side of the school from most of their classrooms. This means that they often have to carry all their books for that day as well as games kit etc.

DS1 walks a three mile round trip tp school carrying at least 5kg, often more. He doesn't care what style of bag he has, so long as it can be worn on both shoulders and has padded straps. Perhaps that's a boy thing though.

My advice is don't spend a lot of money on a bag to start Sept.

My DD (Y7) is now on her 4th bag!

1. Bought cheap rucksack as I knew she would want to change it once she realised it wasn't the 'fashion' for her school whatever I bought. Anyway the zip broke in the second week...

1. Cath Kidston style satchell with flowers on. Apparently this was an acceptable (fashion wise) bag. Sadly it was too small and the zip broke in less than a month....

1. Went to sports direct and bought the largest acceptable (to DD) bag I could, that she could also carry whilst full of books. Strap broke on it by Easter.

1. Now onto a 'fashion' rucksack as she is riding her bike to school now and the satchel bag was tipping her over with the weight of it on one side. Not sure how long this one will last... been a week so far.

At DD's school they keep all text and exercise books in the classroom. They don't even tend to come home for homework, except French. So they won't necessarily need a large bag.

(Though don't get me started on the the ridiculously tiny bags I see some of them with)

DD needs room for: planner, mobile, keys, calculator, geometry set, pencil case, waterbottle, umbrella, pack-a-mac, French books. Having gone through rucksac then 4 cheap bags we got her a lovely red shoulder bag with lots of different pockets for different things which she loves.