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Secondary education

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Original poster

Laptops for school

12 replies

historyrepeatz · 01/09/2023 11:26

If your child is taking a laptop to school are they no longer taking as many books in? DD going into year 9 has always had a full and heavy backpack with books and lunch.

The school had a chromebook scheme for younger years and last year decided to extend it to her year from September. We had already bought her one which is a bit larger than the school one as she wasn't meant to be carrying it around. She is allowed to use her own and get a licence but not sure whether she needs to have a separate laptop bag or case and keep it in current bag. I'm hoping latter as less likelihood of laptop being left somewhere.

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OhCrumbsWhereNow · 01/09/2023 12:11

DD has used a laptop since Y6 - now going into Y10.

She has an iPad with digital keyboard (incorporated into a case), e-Pen and Office 365 installed.

Worked out cheaper than a laptop, much lighter and smaller to carry around and means she can photograph handouts/the board etc and then annotate them on the iPad. The iPad seems to last a whole day on a charge and the keyboard needs charging about once a fortnight.

She has a backpack for school with a laptop pocket that's fairly well padded. Definitely don't do a separate bag as things definitely get left if more than one bag to look after.

Original poster
historyrepeatz · 01/09/2023 17:26

Thanks @OhCrumbsWhereNow does she still have to carry books around with her? DD is saying she will still need all the books as normal.

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mylittleprince · 01/09/2023 17:38

My dd is dyslexic and used a laptop for secondary school however she still seemed to carry a huge amount of books/folders around.

She still used to be given all the diagrams as handouts however this may have been as it was only her plus a couple of others using laptops rather than the whole year group.

For example if they were doing an exam or test she was still always given a paper copy but did all her writing on the laptop. It certainly didn't make her paper free.

Dascha · 01/09/2023 18:17

Mine still has all the books but of course your school is more up to speed with this and might be better. Have you got any friends with younger children going into Y8?

I would start with a single rucksack with laptop compartment, get her to be really disciplined about emptying and repacking every day, and get a lunchbox that fits neatly. With my kids a lot of the "rucksack full of bricks" effect came from carrying round excess from previous days, or finished books as well as their current ones. One insisted on carrying round their previous year's planner for a whole year! PE kit would go missing weekly - there is no way mine would manage a separate laptop bag.

Jansport do some absolutely huge, robust bags with lots of sections.

stealthninjamum · 01/09/2023 18:19

Yes it’s ridiculous, dd2 has to carry a laptop around and all her books. I almost feel like buying her a shopping trolley!

12345change · 01/09/2023 18:53

stealthninjamum · 01/09/2023 18:19

Yes it’s ridiculous, dd2 has to carry a laptop around and all her books. I almost feel like buying her a shopping trolley!

Snap!! My dd says she is going to sue the school for her back problems that she is sure she will get in her old age because of this.😂

2reefsin30knots · 01/09/2023 19:03

DS's (private) school is virtually paperless. The drawback of this is that they insist on a Surface Pro so it can handle everything (digital textbooks etc). DS has his in a protective sleeve, with a body-case and a screen-protector, inside his school bag.

It also has an airtag on it.

Original poster
historyrepeatz · 01/09/2023 23:23

Unfortunately we don't know anyone in other years in the same school. Her primary friends don't have the laptops in their schools. She's telling me that she only carries what's necessary for that day but her pencil case alone is like a brick! She does just have a slim sandwich case for her lunch and squashes a packet of crisps and a separate slim small pot for grapes/ berries. Water bottle goes on the outside.

I remember how my back felt at school, adding a laptop to everything and they are going to be hunched over when they leave!

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OhCrumbsWhereNow · 03/09/2023 20:47

historyrepeatz · 01/09/2023 17:26

Thanks @OhCrumbsWhereNow does she still have to carry books around with her? DD is saying she will still need all the books as normal.

DD doesn't appear to have ever had any textbooks at all - it all seems to be handouts in lessons and uploaded to Teams. She says if text books are needed in class then they are handed out for the lesson and collected back in.

At home she has all the revision guides for her GCSE subjects (on a 3 year GCSE pathway so selected options in Y8, and Y9 is prep work for the course rather than starting the syllabus if that makes sense) so if she needs to double check something she can look it up in that.

She has a pencil case, her iPad and a reading book. The rest of her bag seems to be hairbrushes and random crap.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 03/09/2023 20:50

historyrepeatz · 01/09/2023 23:23

Unfortunately we don't know anyone in other years in the same school. Her primary friends don't have the laptops in their schools. She's telling me that she only carries what's necessary for that day but her pencil case alone is like a brick! She does just have a slim sandwich case for her lunch and squashes a packet of crisps and a separate slim small pot for grapes/ berries. Water bottle goes on the outside.

I remember how my back felt at school, adding a laptop to everything and they are going to be hunched over when they leave!

That was a massive reason for switching from laptop to iPad at Xmas of Y8. Most of Y7 was spent in lockdown so DD hadn't realised just how heavy things were.

They do have lockers at school so backpack goes in there and DD has a fabric tote that she decants what she needs for morning and then afternoon sessions.

twistyizzy · 04/09/2023 18:22

@2reefsin30knots that is the same at DDs school so she has a Surface Pro leased from the school.

Original poster
historyrepeatz · 05/09/2023 10:02

I think DD avoids her locker apart from putting her winter coat in it at the beginning of the day. Her current school bag clearly isn't going to cut it so we are off to look for a bigger one.

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