The school says the rule was always in place but parents were ignoring it
Timperley Primary School(Image: Google Maps)
Parents with children at a Greater Manchester primary school have criticised a ban on children using rucksacks.
Willows Primary School in Timperley, Altrincham, has told families that children need to leave larger backpacks at home as the only thing pupils need are their book bags.
The school says the pegs aren’t big enough for the big bags youngsters have been bringing in with their own possessions including pencil cases.
Staff say nothing has changed – they’ve always asked that children just bring their book bags to school – but now they’re having to enforce the rule as it’s being ignored.
For the best ideas on days out, shopping and parenting issues, get the Manchester Family newsletter here
The book bag is part of the school uniform at Timperley Primary School(Image: Timperley Primary School)
But parents have slammed it as ‘absolute madness’, with one mum telling us they’re ‘all really annoyed’ about the instruction from the Victoria Road school.
“The school has banned children from bringing rucksacks and they are only able to bring book bags,” she said. “Apparently it’s to do with health and safety. They can’t fit their lunchboxes in there and they have to carry the water bottles. It’s absolute madness.”
Join our Family WhatsApp group HERE
Timperley Primary School(Image: Google Maps)
Rachel Ross, headteacher of Willows Primary, said: “We have asked parents to follow a long-standing rule to not bring rucksacks into school due to the increasing space they take up in cloakrooms, and the potential for accidents in a narrow area where hundreds of children go back and forth every day.
“If children need to bring in bags containing clothes for after school activities we have always given the option to hold these in the office until the end of the school day, and continue to be happy to do this.”
Does your child’s school insist on book bags only? Does it cause an issue? Let us know your views in the comments here.