Mobile phones and tablets in schools

[ClairJS]

In your experience what age do children start taking their personal mobile phones and tablets into school? I'd expect not until senior school but from what I've heard they're taking them in from age 7 or 8.. Is this really true?

[enderwoman]

The primary and secondaries provide tablets and they are kept at school. Phones - once they go to school alone so 10 years old.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

School provides every child from year 1 onwards with there own tablet. So from rising 6. WiFi through out the entire school.

[TeenAndTween]

At our primary if a child takes a mobile phone to school because they travel independently then the phone has to be lodged with the office and collected at the end of the day.

Secondary most will have phones. Different schools have different rules as to their visibility during the school day.

Personal tablets? No idea. Can't think of any reason why a child should need one except if they need a laptop for writing. (My DD1 has a small robust PC/notebook for this as she can't think with a pencil in her hand!).
Tablets are expensive and easily broken - not a sensible mix with a school environment.

[Soveryupset]

My 8 and 9 (nearly 10) year old have a mobile they take to school as they travel on the school bus. They hand it in to their teacher when they arrive. Most of their friends do not have one as they are taken to school and collected at the end of the day, so no need.

Also can't think why a child would take a tablet to school. My DD1 has taken her kindle to school only because she was reading a book she wanted to read at break time (she was really into it).

[redskybynight]

DC from 8 or 9 (Year 4) have mobile phones at the DC's school. They have to be handed in to the teacher during school time. By the end of Y5 DS said that he reckoned at least half the class had phones.

School has tablets for use in school time - don't know of any children that bring in personal ones

[Deecam18]

My DD brought her phone in from year 5 as she walked to and from school by herself but she had to hand it to the teacher at the start of the day. Now she's started secondary she hands it into the school office. She doesn't bring in her tablet as the school provides them when needed and i wouldn't be happy with her taking it in anyway.

[TooBigNow]

I didn't let my DD have a phone until last year at the beginning of Y7. All of the children in her year have phones. Many of them have iPhones, but my DD only has a standard Nokia PAYG.

Her school specified iPads as part of the requirements for all children, compulsory from the beginning of this term. We bought it for her at the beginning of the Summer term.

[ClairJS]

Thank you. That all sounds very reasonable.

[Theas18]

Toobignow.... compulsory ipads ??? faints!

You actually have to provide it? What do they use it for?

[TooBigNow]

Totally agree Theas18. Apple don't even give an educational discount for school children, only for universities.

I think they are going to be using them interactively in the classrooms. All the teachers have been provided with one if they didn't have their own (but not the children). As they only went back to school yesterday it isn't clear yet how it is rolling out.

We have found it to be very good for her as she reads a lot and can download books from the library onto it. I went mad and got myself one at the same time and love it.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

My DD has already had two years of creating presentations and e ebooks linking into class room network and performing full presentation with slides etc. ( she's 10). They don't have discrete IT lessons it is fully integrated.

[Dad164]

A few at year 4 with phones, many more in year 5 and nearly all by year 6. Very few ever bring tablets in.

Mine doesn't have either phone or tablet and goes to and from school on his own (year 6).

We live in central London. We've seen several kids mugged for their iPhone, iTouch etc. Last year a year 5 kids suffered some minor injury from a mugging on the way to school. The whole school was informed, but some parents just don't think it will happen to their kids and think the phone is "important".

Mine will get a £10 phone in year 7. Nothing more.

[shebird]

I really can't see why a 7&8 year old would need a phone at school not to mention a tablet. I guess it's because they are on FB and Instagram and need to post regular updates and selfies throughout the school day.

[Happy36]

At my school mobile phones are banned. Teachers can only use them in the staffroom out of sight of students and in fact we´re encouraged not to use them (nor to email each other too much) but to have face to face conversations; with the exception of a few arse-headed managers we´re pretty good at it too!

If a kid´s phone is seen or heard anywhere in the school grounds it´s confiscated until the following Friday when the parents can collect it from the head´s office. A second offence means one day´s suspension. And no one´s ever exceeded a second offence to date...

The school´s policy is very very clear and very visible that phones are banned and the school accepts no liability for them.

When we confiscate a phone the head emails the parents to tell them and reminds them of the policy, to cover our arses if the phone were to break or get damaged or stolen at any time.

Realistically most kids especially Yr. 10 upwards have a phone which is switched off in their blazer pocket and brought out once they´re outside the school grounds at the end of the day.

[AgaPanthers]

Ipads are bad news for schools, they are too expensive, schools should use Android.

[Taz1212]

DS started taking a tablet to school last year (when he was 11) because his bus journey is at least an hour long each way and it broke the tedium. He is not allowed to use it at school and mobile phone usage is also banned during school hours. They are allowed to keep both on them but if Ds needs to contact us during the day, he needs to use the school office phone.

[starfish4]

They are not allowed to take their mobiles or tablets into our local primary school. School do state if they really need to get a message home before or at end of lessons, they will try and contact parents.

In Year 7 I think 98% of them have some sort of mobile due to the fact they have greater independance and parents want them to be able to contact them if they miss their bus, want to go off with friends after school. My dd is in Year 9 and doesn't want to (or would by allowed by us) to take her ipad into school.