Back to school now means a new ipad, not a pencil case

CHILDREN are now more likely to get a new ipad than a pencil case when heading back to school, a survey into changing classroom habits has found.

Researchers discovered that 55 per cent of children are given a new ipad or similar tablet device for the new school year, compared with only 46 per cent who get a new pencil case.

Just 63 per cent of today’s children walk to school, compared with 81 per cent of their parents’ generation.

However, schools have become healthier – with children 10 times less likely to have a tuck shop selling sweets compared with their own parents’ school. While just six per cent of schools still offer a shop with sugary snacks, 63 per cent of parents said their schools had a tuck shop stuffed with treats.

Instead, three quarters of modern schools have a healthy lunch-box policy, usually banning nuts and many insisting on low-sugar packed lunches, the survey of 1,097 parents found.

Carried out by the parenting site Channelmum.com, the research also revealed just 14 per cent of modern children make do with second-hand uniforms, compared with a third in previous generations.

Siobhan Freegard, the website’s founder, said: “Back to school is a sign of the times, becoming more hi-tech each year. But while the fashions and food may change the one thing that doesn’t change about back to school is the excitement.”

It also emerged 68 per cent of parents said they used to rush back to school to catch up with friends they hadn’t seen for the six-week break compared with 23 per cent now.

This is because modern children check in daily with friends through the holidays on social media, so already know what their schoolmates have been up to.

Irene Picton, from the National Literacy Trust, said: “Research we’ve carried out has found that children should read on a mixture of formats and different genres, so it’s definitely not a case of one or the other but rather offering children as wide a choice as possible.”