looking for a large school bag

iammumtoone

I am having a few issues with my son just staring secondary and lost PE kit The first half term I have spent over 100 pound on replacement kit - I can't afford this to carry on.


Looking for suggestions for a large 3 section bag so he can have everything in one bag (most I can find is two section plus pocket, the pockets don't look big enough to count)
1st section - pe kit needs to hold football boots, football socks, t shirt, thick sweatshirt, jogging bottoms.
2nd second - lunch box and 2 drink bottles (one for lunch. water for lessons)
3rd section - books and stationery

Bag needs to be conformable for him to carry around all day and walk to and from school.


Any other suggestions what parents do to help a child unable to focus enough to remember he has taken two bags into school welcome.


Thanks

phryne

As regards the second part of the question, when we forgot or lost our PE kit we had to do games in our underwear :eek: :rotfl: That focussed the mind a bit, I can tell you.


But for bag recommendations I would go for an outdoor hiking kind of rucksack, if you can stretch to it. Berghaus are a good make, and I think you can get them in most good outdoor shops.

iammumtoone

phryne wrote: »

As regards the second part of the question, when we forgot or lost our PE kit we had to do games in our underwear :eek: :rotfl: That focussed the mind a bit, I can tell you.

I don't think that would be allowed these days :rotfl:. They do get a detention if they regularly don't have the correct kit.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Let him get detentions. He'll soon start to look after things better - especially if the replacements are paid for out of his pocket/Christmas/Birthday budget.

A large bag will just mean he loses everything at once. When it doesn't give him a bad back (very common in teenagers).

The other thing is that he actually needs to look for the stuff. We have kids amazed that expensive property gets returned to them at the end of term - or even at the end of Year 11 - with a 'We have a Lost Property at Reception?'. There's also a good chance that his bag is festering under a bench in PE, been shoved in the PE office, is under a desk in the classroom of his next lesson or sitting as a lonely goalpost at the furthest reaches of the school field.

If things are named (and there are usually two things plus the homework left behind by somebody after every single lesson), I usually keep hold of them until my break - if the kid's next classroom is nearby, I'll drop it off as I walk by, or if it's the other side of the site, it's raining or I have no idea who the bag/pencil case/stinking football boots/very expensive mobile phone that shouldn't have been out in class anyway belong to, it gets dumped at Lost Property.

theoretica

A friend found a bag of school sports kit with a name but no other contact details. Didn't make it easy to help it find its owner as there is more than one school in the area.

pogofish

Ensure he learns to take better care of his kit - cheaper all round and a valuable life lesson for the lad.

onomatopoeia99

iammumtoone wrote: »

Any other suggestions what parents do to help a child unable to focus enough to remember he has taken two bags into school welcome.

Tell him to leave the bag somewhere he can find it again the next day!

esmy

Both my DDs kitted themselves out from school lost property when they lost their (very expensive) school tracksuits and other assorted PE kit and uniform. Most of the items in lost property were not named so would never have been returned to their rightful owners. I only bought one kit for each of them.

Could he (or you) ask if this is possible at his school?

DigForVictory

When my lad forgot his PE kit, he was told he'd do it in his vest & underpants (he agreed). His girlfriends disagreed, & turned out their kit bags & attired him in jogging bottoms & a sweatshirt - both in lurid Hannah Montana pink, with sequins.

His PE teacher has never forgotten, and recalls it fondly each time we meet.

Since then, he has been scrupulous about his kit.

Peer pressure can be a positive thing.

Either get the lad a rucksack with bags for life for different elements in, or coach him that the lost property heap is his friend...

kingfisherblue

If I remember correctly, the OP's son has some difficulties and may have autism. If I'm thinking of a different poster, I apologise.


With autism in mind, maybe the school can arrange for him to take his PE kit to the office (or Head of Year, or somewhere else suitable) after his class. He can then collect it at the end of the day. It will soon become routine. Even if he forgets it, at least it isn't lost. Many schools will be able to make an exception in circumstances such as this.

iammumtoone

kingfisherblue wrote: »

If I remember correctly, the OP's son has some difficulties and may have autism. If I'm thinking of a different poster, I apologise.

Yes that is me