Calling all teachers or parents of secondary school kids - need some insight into how kids look after their valuables at school

[joshandjamie]

I don't have secondary school age kids so haven't yet come across this problem but I'm trying to find out what kids do with their valuables at school - things like mobile phones, money, medication etc - particularly when they go to PE or somewhere where they can't have the items with them?

Do kids in UK schools have lockers? Do they have to hand their valuables into the teacher/office?

Do things tend to get lost/nicked?

Thanks for any insight into this.

[PuzzleRocks]

Bumping for you.

[joshandjamie]

thanks puzzlerocks

[frogs]

Most schools discourage children from taking any valuables in, tbh.

Some schools have lockers, some don't.

Mobile phones and money are kept in a pocket or in the bag, so should be with them most of the time. Dd's school officially forbids mobiles, though they know that most girls have them. But banning them means that kids and parents can't come running to the school if things get lost.

The stuff that gets most frequently lost ime is PE kit.

[Lauriefairycake]

Dh is a secondary school teacher and he told me the following:

1. If child has phone out in class or it goes off in their bag it is confiscated until the parents come to collect it (ditto mp3 players, ds's, other electronic devices).

1. At PE valuables are put in an open box and locked in the PE teachers office for the duration of the lesson - afterwards the box is brought out and stuff is given back (though not individually and some kids just grab and have stolen).

1. School generally not responsible for valuables (unless in a locked office) and they prefer it if they bring as little money (they have a prepaid system for school dinners) as well as having less 'stuff' at school generally leaves less bullying/hassle to sort out.

This is only the situation in one secondary state school

[scienceteacher]

Mine all have lockers.

If they were to take in medication, it would have to be handed into the office.

[wheresthehamster]

Dd1's school have individual lockers for books etc and PE lockers to put valuables in just for the PE lesson.

Dd2's school have lockers that have no locks and have the doors hanging off so no one uses them. They carry every item with them all day (e.g. PE kit, musical instruments, packed lunch). During PE it's just luck that blazer pockets aren't rifled. Parents often complain in year 7 then get complacent as they move up the school so nothing gets done.

All schools are different. It's a good question to ask when you are looking round!

[MaureenMLove]

My school.

No lockers. Phones are not allowed to be seen. If they are, they are supposed to be confiscated until the end of the day, but with the paper work that goes with it, most teachers unfortunately turn a blind eye. If you take something to school of value and it gets lost or stollen, then its your own fault, basically.

DD's school

Schools completely banned. Spot checks are made too. Anyonr found with a phone, has it confiscated and it is returned to the parents, by appointment only at the end of the school term. Fine if its the last day of term, but 6 weeks is a long time to wait for it back, if you lose it on the first day of term!

DD usually carried a couple of pain killers in her pocket, in case she gets a headache/tummy ache. Apparently, too much like hard work to see the nurse and wait for her to phone me to say she can have some painkillers!

[Whizzz]

I'm a TA in secondary - phones & money are kept with them - usually in a pocket. FOr PE items are left with their belongings in the changing rooms which are locked when all kids are out of them.
They are told not to bring expensive phones/Ipods etc in - but few listen - so its at their own risk. Phones are confiscated & Taken to office until the end of the day if seen out in class.
Medication - would depend on what it is - prescription stuff would be kept by the office, things like Epi pens are kept by the pupils concerned.

Pupils do have lockers - tend to be used to keep coats / PE kits in until needed - often they don't have access to them apart from break time as classrooms are in use.

[skramblenotdieting]

At DS's school, loads of them have phones but they must be off and out of sight. I think DS's phone is never switched on, he has it for emergencies, ie if he misses the school bus or if the bus breaks down. (this hapened recently although DS sat it out but a few kids phoned home to say bus had broken down).

They carry everything with them but at PE valubles can be left in "the box", don't know where this is kept.

I wish they did have lockers as DS has to carry his gym kit about all day, and he carrys a lot of books about that he could leave at school if no homework. I think he gets to leave his rugby bag in his form class all day as he doesn't need it until after school and form teacher is rugby coach.

[roisin]

At our school the bringing in of valuables (phones, ipods, £££) is discouraged. If they have to bring things in, they can leave it with a member of staff for safe-keeping during the day.

Phones are not allowed and if they are lost at school, we accept no responsibility.

They do have lockers for their books and so on, but often these are in classrooms so they don't have access to them throughout the day.

At PE time the staff do have a valuables box, but there can still be problems there.

My ds1 is at a different school and I wouldn't send him in with lots of cash or anything particularly valuable.

[pointydog]

there are lockers at dd1's school. Medication is given to the office. School dinners use a card system so they don't need to carry money around every day, just when they are topping up the card.

[ravenAK]

Where I work:

No lockers.

Phones banned, but vast majority have them. If out in lesson, confiscated & parent has to come in to reclaim - in theory. In practice I usually issue a warning, or keep in my drawer until end of lesson (unless child has otherwise misbehaved).

No responsibility is accepted for phones, ipods etc - PE staff have a box for purses & watches, kept in locked office.

Basically, no sympathy given to anyone who has stuff lost/nicked - should only have minimal cash on them & no valuables.

Books - I seldom send textbooks home. Drawers in teaching room for exercise books/folders - if no H/W, I always give the option of leaving these.

[joshandjamie]

Thanks for all the feedback. Very interesting how it works.

[lunamoon2]

My dd school don't have lockers hence she has to carry everything around all day.

Therefore no packed lunch as just too much to carry.

cash less canteen system so tend to send a cheque every few weeks.

Mobiles not permitted although she does take hers, has it switched off until after school and kept in pocket.

Jewellery not allowed with the only exception of watches.

[twinsetandpearls]

We have lockers, as of next term lockers are to be compulsory and no student is allowed to be seen with anything but their books and equipment for the next two lessons. Everything else including coats and bags to be kept in lockers.

[roisin]

How long are your breaks then twinset? And how big is the school?

ds1's school is just over 1000, but it's spread over a fairly sizeable campus with lots of buildings.

The morning break is 15 mins, but that's from the end of one lesson until the start of the next. On days when he has a lunchtime activity he has to go to the refectory at breaktime to order and pay for his lunch, so that he can just pick it up. At othertimes he might have meetings to go to, or his mum might have been hounding him to go to the office to check lost property! As he goes on the bus he doesn't have the opportunity to go to the locker at the beginning or end of the day either.

As a result he rarely uses his locker apart from for PE kit.

[twinsetandpearls]

We are changing the school day , I think morning break is staying the same 20 mins , they then have a lesson, lunch break for an hour and then 2 more lessons.

It is not universally popular, my tutor group who are year 10 are bitterly against it, the kids are signing petitions etc.

At the moment we are sprawled over a large campus but as 3 departments are about to move into a new block we are relatively compact.

I am not sure if it is going to work.

The head says he wants to speed up the school, add a bit more umph, we were picked up on it in OFSTED as we lost one of our main building in a fire so 3 departments in portacabin at the end of a 5 minute walk. The kids (and some staff) dawdle eating sandwiches and chatting. We want to eliminate eating outside of the dining hall, get rid of bags and coats.

We compete with a grammar for intake of children, there are some very good independent schools and on paper at least with one of the best state schools in the country. The head is very aspirational and I think is trying to create the look and feel of an independent or grammar school. Our aim is to have got rid of any low level disruption to lessons by the end of the next academic year.

[roisin]

How great to have an aspirational HT.
We are closing in summer along with some other schools and becoming an Academy. Desperately need an aspirational, visionary, inspirational, motivating leader.
First time they advertised for a Principal they only got two applicants and decided not to interview

[twinsetandpearls]

I have come from a school that faces closure and has the threat of academy, aspirations were very low. I feel as educationally and professionally I have been given a new lease of life.