My daughter left her bag on the bus last week. Had her phone and PE kit in it. I've got no money to replace any of it, so yesterday she had to go into school with no PE kit. Had to do the lesson in her knickers. She's got PE again on Friday, there's no way I'm going to be able to replace it by then. I don't know what to do

Hello and welcome to CAG.

There's no hope of getting the bag back from the bus company?

HB

I've rung them up, but no luck I'm just trying to see if someone can lend me a PE kit for Friday.

First thing is to call the bus company and see if it was found. Then report loss/theft to phone company to get it blocked.

How old is your daughter? I'm assuming at Primary school. Then contact the headteacher and explain what has happened so that school knows it isn't just your daughter forgetting to bring her kit in. They might be able to help, some schools have spare PE kit for this situation.

First thing is to call the bus company and see if it was found. Then report loss/theft to phone company to get it blocked.

 

How old is your daughter? I'm assuming at Primary school. Then call the headteacher and explain what has happened so that school knows it isn't just your daughter forgetting to bring her kit in. They might be able to help, some schools have spare PE kit for this situation.

I've already called the bus company. It hasn't been found. My daughter's 14, at secondary. Although the school know she's not forgetting her kit, because she left it on the bus, they are still saying its her fault. They don't have any spare kit.

Hello and welcome to CAG.

Thank you!

I think asking a 14 year old girl to PE in her knickers is bordering on the abusive. I'd want to complain to the headteacher.

To be fair to the school it is your daughter's fault that she doesn't have her PE kit. She left it on the bus! At 14 she is old enough to be responsible for keeping her kit safe and not losing it. But the school's response is not helpful in finding a way forward.

Does it have to be the 'official school uniform' PE kit? Can you get her something cheap from somewhere in similar colours? Is there a secondhand school uniform sale scheme run by the PTA or similar? Many schools have something like that.

I think asking a 14 year old girl to PE in her knickers is bordering on the abusive. I'd want to complain to the headteacher.

 

To be fair to the school it is your daughter's fault that she doesn't have her PE kit. She left it on the bus! At 14 she is old enough to be responsible for keeping her kit safe and not losing it. But the school's response is not helpful in finding a way forward.

 

Does it have to be the 'official school uniform' PE kit? Can you get her something cheap from somewhere in similar colours? Is there a secondhand school uniform sale scheme run by the PTA or similar? Many schools have something like that.

I don't know about abusive - certainly embarrassing, and as you say, its her fault she left it on the bus, she's old enough to make sure she's got everything before getting off the bus and to be responsible, and she's learnt her lesson.

There isn't 'official' PE kit, apart from the top, but they let her wear her school shirt so she wasn't literally in just her underwear. I just don't know where I'm going to get a pair of shorts for a couple of pounds before Friday. I'll have to ask around and see if I can borrow some.

What about your local charity shop or freegle, Mary?

I'll pop out after lunch to the high street to look in charity shops. I've never heard of freegle - how does that work?

https://www.ilovefreegle.org/how-to-freegle

There are a lot of people offering stuff they don't need any more, but people also post to say what they need and it usually works.

Cool. I'll have a look. Thanks for your help!

Just to update. I managed to get my daughter a new PE kit earlier today, so will be ok for this week. Thanks for everyone's help

This story reminds me of when I was around 13 years of age. I always enjoyed riding on the buses in my local area (still do in fact). We are going back 25 years or so here.

At the start of Year 9 I had this bus pass and I remember going on a few buses after school before going home - getting some shopping after school and all that. My mother used to know that I liked doing this.

Not sure how much stuff was in the bag, probably one or two exercise books and a calculator for Maths.

One evening I arrived home after walking through the alleyway from the main road to the street I used to live on, and my mother asked me "where's your bag?" It then dawned on me that I no longer had it. The problem was that I had been on so many buses that I must have left it on one of them, but couldn't remember which one.

It was fruitless contacting the transport company place as I couldn't remember where or when I lost my bag, and when my English teacher had telephoned my mother at home when he was concerned about some homework that wasn't been handed in, she told him about it. I doubt that Lost Property had it because of the "finders keepers" concept that local people in my area had when they had found something that belonged to someone else.

Got a new bag soon after, and I think that I got the other things replaced for a relatively small amount of money, but it didn't happen again!

I think asking a 14 year old girl to PE in her knickers is bordering on the abusive. I'd want to complain to the headteacher.

Now this is all sorted out, do you really think I should complain? Or just leave it?

Now this is all sorted out, do you really think I should complain? Or just leave it?

Hi. Just read your post. When I was at school no PE kit meant underwear - I didn't realise it still happened these days. I had to do it a couple of times and it was very embarrassing! It depends on how you want to proceed - 14 is quite old to be running about in underwear. Were there boys in the lesson too? Was it indoor or outdoor? I'm sure as she was wearing a shirt on top she was more covered up than if she was swimming, but some girls knickers can be quite skimpy these days. Probably depends if she wants you to take it further too?

Hi. Just read your post. When I was at school no PE kit meant underwear - I didn't realise it still happened these days. I had to do it a couple of times and it was very embarrassing! It depends on how you want to proceed - 14 is quite old to be running about in underwear. Were there boys in the lesson too? Was it indoor or outdoor? I'm sure as she was wearing a shirt on top she was more covered up than if she was swimming, but some girls knickers can be quite skimpy these days. Probably depends if she wants you to take it further too?

Sorry - only just seen your post, I haven't been on for a while. I didn't take it any further, my daughter preferred to just forget about it! It was a mixed indoor lesson, but she managed to borrow a t-shirt off someone so wasn't that bad at the time.