I personally hate those nylon web handles. They are very hard on my hands especially when there is weight in the tote. I love handles made with fabric and fusible fleece, they are super soft on the hands.

I say a zippered top. If it gets full, or you have something in there you don't want the kids to see, you can zip it up. A elastic top pocket on one end for a bottle of water.

Pockets on the outside of the ends of the bag are also very handy for slipping in small items which can be retrieved in a hurry without having to go to the main part of the bag and rummage.

P.S I have just had a look at the suggested link above and I note that that tote has the outside pockets that I was referring to. Very handy indeed.

I was going to say the same thing about the nylon web. If you don't want to make straps use the cotton webbing. It is much kinder to hands. I personally would want a zipper on the top. Even if she overfills it and can't zip she will have the option for other times (especially during bad weather)

I would be sure the bottom is reinforced so it can support the weight.

Choose a fabric that will help conceal dirt and stains.

I agree with alikigirl on choosing this pattern. I was a college instructor and found this tote to be versital enough for anything I needed to carry.

I am a former teacher. The first thing that came to my mind is to make sure the straps are wide enough and strong enough. School bags can get very heavy. Thin straps cut into your hands or shoulders. Make sure the straps are long enough so the bag can be carried on her shoulder. I liked straps about 2 inches wide. I liked a zippered pocket or two for keys, personal items, and other small items that could get lost or misplaced. I got to the point where my bag was my purse. Teachers always have pens, pencils, paper clips, etcetera in their bags. My favorite bag had a zipper to close the main compartment and a flap to cover the whole thing including outside compartments, kind of like a messenger bag, to keep things dry and secure in bad weather. I did not like outside compartments that did not close because things could fall out of the bag when it fell over.

I make my inside pockets one long strip that actually goes into the side seams....sew in between to accommodate cell phone/small pads/pens/etc. I reinforce my pockets with batting but make sure the portion that goes into the side seams does not have batting. I actually kind of stitch in the ditch and topstitch the pocket before I sew it to the inside lining... I always add a good size key fob and hook. I am actually thinking at this point of adding key fob on each side since I get tired of having to fight with two sets of keys (house and car) on the same key fob hook...LOL...I enjoy making totes for loved ones and have made many. I never use a pattern just make up as I go...Love using Batik charm squares and using simple embroidery stitches as quilting around the squares. Wish I knew how to upload pictures to this QB but I don't. Everyone here has been so helpful.

I use cotton webbing most of the time but never use it without covering it with fabric. If you like soft you can put a piece of batting on top of it before folding it over. I use grosgrain ribbon on the underside and sew decorative stitches on each side of the ribbon to finish it off nicely. Makes for a very strong and pretty handle. I learned this process from a Nancy Zieman video...she is the best.