To feel relieved the school has now completely banned phones

Did you catch a bus to school and was your ticket only available via an app?
An outright ban really doesn't work in that situation.

Now it would be good if bus companies adapted to the new smartphone rules and started offering their best value tickets as a paper ticket. Or if the government mandated them to do so. But in the meantime, schools need to be reasonable about phone access on the school journey if they have pupils with this issue. Thankfully DS's school is.

There are loads and loads of school rules that are frequently broken. Bullying is rife in a great many schools, but the way they 'deal with' it is to outright deny that it happens and blame the victims for not being 'resilient' or with the bizarre 'friendship issues' excuse.

Uniform infringements is one area where many schools seem to have plenty of resources in trying to enforce, when they could eliminate it at a stroke if they abolished it. As has been mentioned, schools are obsessed with attendance and have unlimited resources to pursue anybody who perceivably steps remotely out of line.

It's a fact of life that, if you have a large group of young people, there will be rule-breaking, which has to be dealt with, disciplined and punished when it happens. Just like in society in general, enforcing rules and punishing crime is a necessary evil - unless you prefer to send offenders into exile or just kill them.

Sorry that wasn't a rhetorical question. Which members of staff do uou think should be taking time out their day to deal with phones with being out when they shouldn't be? Which budget do you think the time and space to deal with phones should come out of?
Unform infringements should also be parents responsibility. As should dealing with their child being a bully. Are you seeing the pattern yet?
Do not recognise the double standards in your post?

They've also tried allowing private cars in society, but that's failed, as some people speed, drink-drive and drive without insurance. They've also tried the internet, but some people access and spread dangerous and harmful content.

So that's two things that we need to ban for everybody immediately, just for a start...

There were no apps lol
This was the 1970s

This is very true.
The amount of time some schools spend checking and obsessing over the finer details of uniform is a huge waste of resources.
I wonder what the punishments are for bullying? One strike and you’re out?

Where should the budget come from for dealing with children who refuse to stop talking in class when they should be listening or working? And for those who abuse and swear at the teachers? Do you need to employ extra staff to sit outside every classroom in case a child tells a teacher to F-off?

Why are phones such an isolated issue for discipline when used inappropriately? Disruptive kids will find any number of ways to be disruptive, so schools already have processes in place for dealing with them. Discipline has always been a big problem in schools, and a part of the school's responsibility in enforcing - it was when I was a child, long before anybody had even heard the word 'mobile phone'.

I completely agree with you that unform infringements and stopping their children from bullying should be parents responsibility - this is blatantly obvious - but plenty of parents don't take this responsibility, so it falls on to the schools. On the other hand, plenty of parents do parent properly - and will guide their children if they make poor choices, as well as bringing them up in a mindset where the idea of trying to bully another child would never enter their thoughts for a second.

The latter group of parents and well-brought-up children are not the ones who should be punished by having everyday facilities taken away from them - any more than Tesco should be apprehending and calling the police to arrest honest customers who pay for their shopping as well as for the shoplifters.

The former group are the ones who should face punishments, sanctions and negative consequences as a direct result of their choices; not those who have done nothing wrong. Nor should we as a society assume that everybody is a law/rule-breaker and punish/restrict/assume guilt by default.

Just got an email from the school that they're phasing in pouches. Could not be more annoyed that they've had to spend this kind of money that could have been used in so many other ways. But regardless, that means the school is allowing for lunch/before/after school flexibility so that's easy enough for me to deal with. I think demanding children follow school rules while not even in school is a massive over-reach and I'd be doing everything in my power to stop that sort of direction.

Yes, that's exactly the point PP was making. Nobody is seeking to find a time machine and retro-ban or control mobile phone use in schools long before mobile phones were even invented... but now they are an essential part of managing modern life, we can't just ignore them and pretend that they aren't important.

At the other end of the age spectrum, look at the stark contrasts in social connectivity, life opportunities and just everyday mundane functioning between elderly people who have embraced mobile phones and the internet and those who haven't. It's obviously a generational thing, as when today's schoolchildren are elderly, every single one of them will be online and using smartphones with as little thought as they give to flicking on a light switch. It's a standard essential part of their lives - which can be used for so much good, so much bad and millions of things in between; and we ignore this and try to pretend that it isn't at our peril.

It's ironic, really, as schoolchildren are taught the basics of numerous things that aren't yet really relevant to them, in preparation for adult life: sex, money management, career planning. Nobody would think it was wise to ignore and ban talking about these topics until they've left school and have no idea what they want to do for a living whilst living off a credit card charging 1,000% APR that they just see as basically free money... yet when it comes to phones, some people are so desperate to infantilise teenagers and bury their heads in the sand rather than honestly discuss wise and responsible use of them whilst they're still at a young age and used to learning about life skills. I believe that our teenagers deserve more from the adults who are responsible for guiding them - parents AND teachers - than this. We are failing them otherwise.

Nobody is saying they're all "guilty". If they dont use their phones at school they won't be punished. It's really not a big deal.

Exactly my point lol! I managed to get myself to and from school on the bus without a phone because apps and phones didn't exist so I had a physical ticket. DS's season ticket is only available on an app so he has to take a phone to school in order to catch the bus.

I was challenging your comment that there's good reason for an outright ban by giving an example of a situation where it wouldn't work.

Nobody said permission to cross the road to go to a park, except you, trying to minimise the experience for others. Some kids need to travel a long way to school in busy areas.

Also, not sure whose kids are 'triggered', 🙄again - its YOU who seems triggered that others may prefer their kids to use a phone.

As mentioned previously and people keep avoiding answering, its not just calling home. My daughter gets shifts from work at short notice.

Also many kids have shared care and need to be in touch with both parents.

Probably depends where you are. Im not in England. (but have similar schooling system and rules about phones).
Maybe my whole country is 'triggered' and 'cant tie our own shoes' according to the goady PP.

Here’s a great alternative for parents wanting their teen to be able to call in an emergency, use bus pass apps and check maps but without the social media:

https://thephone.fr/en-gb?srsltid=AfmBOookn0Gl8KVJL1v3EzLpTftni_FH5khXpVLfFFzh-R4O4WvEs0FQ

Or a basic Nokia of course!

Well yes but the bans on phones include brick phones which is the inherent problem. There are plenty of tech based solutions, but if you cant have a brick phone at school you can't fix it with tech.

Yes it seems a good idea - at least so far - but the point is that too many kids don't WANT a phone without social media, not even just for use when going to and from school for bus apps, timetables, calls home and so on

And too many parents simply won't say no to them

my sister in law is a teacher there and she confirmed it. That is their lockdown procedure. Yes it happened. Teachers lie at least as much as teenagers, possibly more because they falsely believe they can just claim the kids are lying.

so yeah. Still the weak parent, expecting everyone else to do the hard work for you

That’s not the case- the ban is on smartphones.

You are talking about those already addicted to social media. What about the primary aged kids not yet exposed but who will be moving up to typical smartphone age? There is still hope for this next generation. We don’t have to repeat the mistakes made with current teenagers and we can learn from our mistakes!

No - not in the OP’s school. Ban on ‘all’ phones - even the Nokia brick she was considering.

Please oh so resilient and resourceful ones , tell me how DD is supposed to sort issues like this in the morning, without a phone on which to receive these messages or make alternative arrangements from. Keeping in mind it’s a two hour walk to her school, she’s already late(ish) and there’s a reason she takes a (shitty, oh so shitty) private bus. Hint: no public transport options.

Pics will be pending.

You do realise thought that the smartphone was only introduced in 2007, young children didn't have them at that time they where to expensive. I got my first one when DS was born in 2010. So most of those you are talking about would have had dum phones. Those in there early 20's at most would have had smart phones as teenagers.