Contents of pupils' school bags in UK 'worth £300'

Youngsters are carrying as much as £300 of kit in their school bags, according to a survey published yesterday.

More than half polled (56 per cent) carry gadgets and gizmos with them to school every day and nearly as many take in cash (46 per cent). Others also take bank cards ( seven per cent).

Despite many of the items being restricted in the classroom, more than a third (37 per cent) of 11-year-olds and 60 per cent of 12-year-olds carry a mobile phone in their school bag - rising to 70 per cent of 17-year olds.

Children also carry Apple iPods (22 per cent), MP3 players (10 per cent) or games consoles (five per cent) to school with them daily.

The YouGov research was commissioned by Tesco and asked questions of 1,851 adults and 1,851 children aged seven to 17.

The research showed pupils' parents made do with stickers (21 per cent), marbles (21 per cent), sweets (16 per cent) and skipping ropes (13 per cent) when they were studying.

Of the most tech-savvy parents, just seven per cent, had a Walkman in their school bag as a child. Josh Hardie, Tesco's head of Corporate Responsibility, said: "The figures for children may seem surprising to adults but for children today, technology is integral to life.

"Schools are equipped with equally advanced equipment, so it's just part and parcel of the world they live in."

Almost all children (84 per cent) pack their own schoolbag with nearly a quarter (21 per cent) admitting they hide things from their parents in there. The clandestine items were revealed to be notes from friends, love letters or technology they know they should not have at school. Youngsters say their bags also contain letters they have forgotten to hand in (38 per cent), mouldy fruit (11 per cent) or old sandwiches (seven per cent).