Mobile phones

Trouble is hulababy the kids know more than we do - and are experts at over-riding any security we put on. 99% of my students are awesome and would never try, but a few don't care. Remember, some are 16 and have had enough of school - if they can play candy crush instead of algebra, they will (to be honest, so would I !!!). I have a zero tolerance rule as it means we all know where we stand. The funniest thing is when they are watching a video and they have phone under the desk - their faces get a green glow. To much teaching time is wasted by kids using phones. And the safety issues of them using social media are huge. And some will whatever we do or say. They are teenagers, and some are hard wired to try it on. My job is to ensure they learn that rules is rules - cos if they do it in a job they will be fired.

I have several iPads I monitor and deal with at school. But children don't have them issued to them - so they are on a school account. I have every setting set and password protected and the password is changed regularly. Children cannot install or delete apps, and they are restricted to certain age ranges for apps, music, videos, etc. The internet is the same as our school computers so again it is filtered. The history and usage of the iPads can easily be checked.

If any pupil would be found to be on inappropriate sites/apps or have tampered in any way they would be banned fro using them, and all classes are supervised by a teacher - it should be the same in secondary.

Most kids are never bullied. But cyber bullying is horrific - unless a kids never turns anything electronic on (including school email) then there is no escape. As grown ups we think it's easy to say 'just block them' or 'don't use Instagram' but this just alienates them from their peers. Kids don't phone each other to arrange to meet. I work with the fall out of it all and it is life changing. There Is a reason the police become involved.

I imagine most people don't spend 7 yrs of their life before 14 being suicidal, so of course I have an astounding lack of empathy. Obviously.

I still don't think that phones are a special bullying tool.

Watch Cyberbully. On catch up on Channel 4. Very scary - but very real. Sadly

Yes Ragged, but some kids just don't have the inner strength to stand up for themselves. DD doesn't. She has now been referred to CAMHS for her social anxiety, caused in part by bullying.

If it was as easy as "just standing up for oneself" why is there still so much bullying in schools, in the workplace, in families? It isn't that easy.

You utter lack of empathy and understanding is astounding.

(I'm saying this as someone who was bullied terribly in primary school)

The answer to bullying is to learn to stand up for self, tell them off, block & ignore the bastards (and blocking can be very easy on Instagram-FB-Snapchat). When our kids can stand up for selves, then the phone is no worse opportunity for bullying than what they wear on their feet or did with their hair.

Our school allows mobiles, but they must be off and out of sight in all lessons.

They don't confiscate overnight, or demand parents come in. Some of the pupils travel quite a distance, and there was some concern that if there was an incident on the journey and absence of phone made difference to outcome (unlikely but possible) the school did not want to feel responsible (morally, not necessarily legally) for that.

They also felt they had no business trespassing on parents time to call them in to collect after a phone misdemeanours. (They save that for much worse conduct)

Ds1 in year 7, they are incredibly strict on everything the school is all about discipline. It is the reason we chose it, amazing pastoral care, contact with teachers, and no wishy washy rules. You break the rules you are punished, you abide by rules you are rewarded with trips to theme parks, cinema etc

They are allowed a phone but it must be silent and not out in lessons or during breaks. If you are caught your phone is confiscated for 48 hours which means you can lose it over an entire weekend. They do not care if you brought in Mum's iphone and she needs it back. A rule is a rule.

Every week they have an equipment check so you must have certain items in your pencil case, including the calculator for maths.

I have never understood this argument. DD's school has full WiFi. All the children are encouraged to use their phones. They use it in class to Google stuff and as a dictionary and calculator. It just helps the class move faster. We are guilty as charged whatsapping her during lesson time. They put their hand up and say parent text can I read and reply at break. This is especially good if your in different time zones.

The school bans the phone at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which I think is correct. To promote interactions.

Cyber bullying is dealt with the same severity as normal bullying. Which is very quickly crushed.

As for DD we have always allowed her free access to the internet. She doesn't think its a biggie. My DH used to take her to McDonald's for breakfast every Sunday. Now she does not crave it or think it is special.

Rosieposy my DCs school has iPads and they are huge distraction in lessons as kids cannot be trusted to do what they are meant to do with them in class but play games etc and teachers spend loads of time trying to police them and can't and lessons are disrupted. Kids also worked out how to get round the school's firewall ( a school which prides itself on being v tech savvy) and were playing inappropriate games online at break . I think iPads or such would be great but perhaps for kids further up the school where kids may have more self discipline and be more motivated generally ( I might be delusional about that...)

I teach at a very small special secondary school. We have

Undecided, why are the iPads a nightmare. We have them in our school and I am a huge fan. Phones are rarely seen, unless as a poor cousin to my iPad is broken, I see less kids trying to text etc in lessons. The iPads are the schools, so at any point we can look at internet history, photos etc. we face cyber bullying head on and I think our students suffer less no, not more since we moved to iPads. Embrace the future folks, we are prepping our students for life in the real world, where everyone ( or very nearly) uses smart technology.
Btw it is great for teaching and learning as well,

Oh mine call too, but only if they really need to speak to me (just DD really and only and not that often!) and usually at the end of the day.

They have Internet access if their parents pay for a data bundle.

Dd exceeded hers within the first 5 days of this month!!

Mine is on a contract for £7.50 a month.

Tilly i have had a lunchtime text or 2. 'Pleeeeeeease bring me up a baking tray and some syrup for cookery food tech Mum'

Not allowed to call though.

Boarding school kids with no internet access.
One of my FAVE MN misconceptions

Sparkling, I have no idea if they play on their phones at lunch, but they always seem to be able to text me

Tescos will sell you a bottom of the range smartphone for 25 quid PAYG. You can get something perfectly acceptable (Android or Windows) for 60 quid up, and something desirable for 100 quid.

Lots of smart phones available at the cheaper price end, and on PAYG.

Every secondary school child I know have some form of smartphone. Not all top of the range, but all smartphones.

And no - despite being allowed phones at break times DD and her friends most of their time chatting and no doubt being a bit daft, as teens are prone to do. Never spent sat on their own, or in silence, or just glued to a screen. They still do some lunch time activities, finish homework in the library, etc.

& no wifi for pupils.

Dds school does not use it. But it's a boarding school with limited computer access in the boarding house.

Allowed but must be on silent. They should not be seen either. If they are seen out in lessons then they are taken away and the children have to get them back from the office.

If PED is written on the board in a lesson then they can be used during the lesson. (for helping with lesson)

What is VLE??
Blimey.
Virtual Learning Environment.
Are there really still schools that do not use them?

Smartphone for £30 PAYG
www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/huawei/ascend-y330/#contractType=payasyougo