No phone for secondary school

Oh and DD knows if she does use her phone in school and it gets confiscated, it will stay there because neither OH or I will leave work early to go pick it up in school hours. If she's THAT daft (possible, but unlikely ) tough titties. It'll get picked up when and if it's convenient for us.

• The genie is out of the bottle whether we like it or not.

• They’ll be left out if they don’t have one.

• I want to track them.

• They need to be able to call/text people.

• They need it for school.

• This is the modern world so they might as well learn how to use them.

Having 2 girls at secondary now, mobiles are part of their life…. School doesn’t allow mobiles out in school hours without teacher permission. But timetables, homework apps are all used by the school . WhatsApp is the main contact with friends, video calls, group chats. The kids without phones get left out of group meet ups, miss out on chats… By the end of yr 7- I would estimate about 99% of students have a mobile … It’s their generation, love or lothe it….🤔

Because for many families it's more cost effective (and indeed easier to manage/keep track of) to just buy a smart phone or give them one they already have than buy a tablet/laptop/computer(or several if lots of kids) and a basic phone and a printer (to paper print all the other stuff) and whatever else might be needed, especially if it will last a few years.

That's completely over egging the pudding there though isn't it? It's not a question of a basic phone or letting them all run amok with iPhones doing whatever they want. It's in between, like most things.

My sons have an hour wait and nearly an hour bus ride home every day. I'm much happier that they have a phone capable of them playing music or games, checking the bus app, and occasionally even doing some homework on them to save having to do it at home.

I would have agreed with you until my friend’s daughter started secondary last September. All her homework goes on an app, uploaded at the end of the day. The teacher tells them it’ll be going on, but doesn’t actually tell the class what the work is. If students don’t have the app they can go to the relevant teacher at the end of the day. My friend caved and bought her daughter a phone after her daughter had to spend an extra 50 minutes at the end of the school day, walking between classrooms/being briefed on homework by 4 different teachers.

They often upload it straight to apps so the option to just write it down doesn't exist

I'm old and I had a mobile when I went to high school. My mum was miles away and I lived rurally so transport was sketchy. It's not new. It's just in case.

There is nothing wrong with having a phone but we must teach kids the risks associated to keep them happy and healthy. We seem to forget this and then blame the phone.

I am mortified to admit that despite trying, I have no idea how to work QR codes prepares for inevitable flogging

That must be a right pain in the arse!

My DS needs a smartphone for secondary school as his school bus pass is a QR code that changes daily and that's generated by an app.

Some schools operate on a week1/week2 basis. Then you have the accelerated days or off time table days, the random changes of classroom (posted on the app) , they alternate things like art/d&t/food tech and so on.

Smartphones can be locked down to only give access to what the parents wish - DD (y6) has one, but it doesn't have an internet browser on it (chrome or similar), nor does it have YouTube. She can't install anything without DH or I approving it. She uses it for messaging friends, playing games (on specific apps), reading books online (Libby), maps. It also means we can see where she is on the way to/from school. We will slowly allow her more apps, and I realise she'll need an internet browser at some point, but this works well for now.

She does homework on a laptop (and I realise we are lucky to be able to provide one)

They don't need a cool phone, but they do 'need' a smart phone. They will be hugely disadvantaged if they don't. Apart from just being seen as odd/weird, they will soon be unpopular if they can't keep up with friendship groups and make independent social arrangements.
They also need homework apps, bus timetable apps, bus ticketing and live update apps, things are often not printed in schools, so they are asked to photograph worksheets etc. They should be able to call the police, childline, a taxi, even you. You might want to track them. They will likely want to read on it, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, have an online calendar, calculator, list their contacts, use word, read the news. So most of these things can be done in other ways, but why would you want to make life more difficult for them? If you can afford a it, buy them a bloody phone! If not I guarantee before the first Christmas, some other parent will have given them an old one or they will have bought one from someone at school.

I have to ask - why are school timetables on an app? Does it change weekly?

The homework is usually uploaded to the app to avoid taking time from class. Do your children need a phone to access their lunch credit, library or gym?

It really will depend on your particular school, it wouldn't be possible in ours. I know in some classes they use the phones to participate in surveys, online assessments etc so whilst the school may be able to support an alternative access (school device?) do you want your child an outlier?

Depending on your child that may not be helpful to them.

Also having multiple kids at various schools with various amounts of homework can make it hard to navigate with just one device.

Someone else mentioned family computer.
The issue with laptops/computers is that less and less families have one and are even less likely to replace/purchase one unless they are needed for another purpose (like a parent's work).
Same with tablets, while they are more popular, and a lot of families do have one, if you have to purchase a device anyway and funds are limited it's better and more cost effective to just get the smartphone (especially if you have one lying about anyway) that does everything than having separate devices.

That's the real advantage of a smart phone. It's small, portable, doesn't have to cost loads and replaces the need for several devices/tools.

Of course, some kids have it all and it's the expensive stuff too, but that's a different thread.

It depends on the general thing in the class though I assume? DD will be starting secondary in sept, and will have a laptop. So I assume it's all going to be recorded on that. It's alien to me, but it just the way it is now.

@BingoMarieHeeler because they use it in class at times also. I don't see how it is practical for them to manage the necessary apps on a shared device. Mine has a school iPad and a smartphone, it is literally used as a ticket and information for his clubs, homework, gym pass, lunch account, library access qr codes etc

It wouldn't be possible to use a shared device as everything in the schools and clubs is created with a mobile user in mind.