3 day suspension for having phone out in school

I was told the main cause of detentions was smoking. The Head actually pointed out some trees on the field and said they think if they smoke behind the trees we don't know what they're up to but we do. Punishment was a weeks hard labour i.e. an hours detention for five days helping the caretaker and cleaners.

The kids at the school always seemed very well behaved so it seemed to work.

So just to recap, the OP thinks this is excessive because the school in question suspends for fewer days in the event of a violent, physical assault and has banned a student from going to prom because she was absent due to the death of her mother - but at no other time throughout the school year.

I'm struggling to believe this.

Some schools have metal detectors now.

(A girl in DDs year got a three suspension for filming a fight. It was a bit of a turning point for her, she's one of the most responsible girls in the year group now)

@PeppyLilacLion How did we manage 40 years ago then? We managed!

This. If they abide by it they won’t have any consequences!!

When I was a teacher, the answer to this was once “a sawn-off shotgun”.

Knives, drugs, vapes, fireworks… I’ve seen all of those in an Ofsted outstanding, high performing, very high standards school. I’d be amazed if a full bag-search in any school in the UK on any day of the year didn’t turn at least one weapon.

in regard to bag searches and the pp who said “ what could a student have in their bag anyway that is a problem “ ( can’t find the post now ) … what about a knife ?

A school would never take away a child’s access to their app for diabetes .

I have been in schools where a TA has had it on a school phone so gets alerts about blood sugars etc

If a school openly introduces rules like this with good enough notice for a new Y7 intake to make their choice and not apply then I would support the school. The problem is however this sort of thing often comes along with some egomaniac of a new head, trying to stamp their new rules on things so they can be quoted in some Sunday newspaper. Let’s face it any kid who has a clue is going to take an old phone out of a drawer for school use and use that and risk that getting spotted and confiscated whilst keeping their actual iphone 16 in their inside blazer pocket. We can’t expect kids to have digital bus passes, make arrangements for if schools unexpectedly close and access homework/ kahoot in lessons and school emails/ classrooms constantly online yet then say phones can’t be in school at all.

👏👏👏

We have a similar rule at work. We are not allowed to have our phones at our desks or on our person whilst working (for security reasons.) We can use them at breaktimes but only in the break out areas or outside. Failure to follow this rule could lead to dismissal. Why not just follow the school rule and then there would be no need for disciplinary measures?

I think the harshness is probably in line with the level of disruption they are causing in schools. As long as everyone is aware, and it's applied equally and consistently, I'd probably acknowledge it's a bit harsh but overall be fine with it.

No I do not think it’s unreasonable. Phones shouldn’t be out in school at all. The amount of bullying that goes on in social media is horrendous. It won’t stop it , but it will limit it. We are seeing teachers being filmed and goaded , we are seeing pupils being filmed and bullied , deliberately to be filmed. It’s taking away from learning and not only that but the amount of students that call their parents during the day - anxieties , school refusal etc and asking parents to get them. Children need to be able to cope without doing that, staff are there to help them but parents are being called and getting involved and that affects education.

children are simply not listening. They have to put something harsh in to deter them and to get the message across that it isn’t tolerated . Children also need to learn - and so important that it’s learnt during childhood and adolescence- that actions have consequences. They know the rule, they know what will happen and if they do it then that’s on them and us as parents should be backing the school with it.

I wholeheartedly agree that phones should not be out in school at all - not at break time, not in lesson. They should be able to take them for safety reasons due to travelling , but they should be locked away as soon as they are in school.

If my child had a 3 day suspension for getting their phone out in school, they would be at home with no phone, no consoles etc and working the whole time so it was not enjoyable and they would not want to do it again .

Like what? It’s a school bag. Only sensitive thing really is sanitary towels/tampons which isn’t something you need to hide from staff anyway, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

It does sound extreme. I’d just confiscate the phone for an extended period. That will be more of a deterrent. The kids that are likely to break the rules may not mind having a few days off school, a few days without their phone they will be upset about. The pouches are a good move though.

What on earth could a child/teen have in a school bag that they don't want a teacher to see.
Surely the only stuff in there would be school related.

As long as your child obeys the school rules they will be ok. The rules are made for a reason, if you don't agree your child will have to leave. The answer is obey the rules.

She could have gotten the school to tell you she didn’t feel well, these aren’t reasons for phones in the school day to be allowed.

I'm not against the phone ban but a three day suspension is stupid as children are at school to get an education and a suspension should be reserved for serious incidents, such as harming someone.
I'm also against the random bag searches as children could have sensitive things in their bags that they don't want a random teacher to see.

A tiny amount in comparison to three phones.

A school can’t exclude students for what happens via social media on an evening. That’s beyond their responsibilities and when parents are supposed to take over. If your child has problems on social media on an evening, you need to take the social media away.

Tell that to my daughter who several times messaged me to tell me she felt ill/her period had started unexpectedly/someone was bullying her in class/breaktime/lunchtime but the teachers were ignoring her.

You will get little sympathy in here, most of mumsnet love the rules of schools. All those arguing there must be more to it, I doubt it. Personally I see suspensions regularly that are way out of proportion to the ‘crime’. We are churning out generations of conformist robots who if they do think for themselves, speak up or break the smallest rule (e.g untucked shirt, dirty shoes) get punished severely. Schools are worse than prisons from my recent experience.

Lots of places in the ‘real world’ don’t allow you to have your phone on you or switched on during working hours. Or have other restrictions on doing things that you might fancy doing.

In my DDs old school, phones were handed in when they entered the school and given back on leaving school. It was a key reason for choosing it for me. It was only 800 pupils tho.