Strict no phones rule at secondary school

I love MN just because in your schools, no phones means switched off / on silent, doesn’t mean that’s the same in all schools!

One near us. Is strictly none on site AT ALL. Random bag checks and if anyone’s makes a noise, the whole class is checked. Confiscated if found, even switched off.

Children get mugged because they're carrying smartphones. Snapchat used to have a function that let contacts track each other - which meant that girls were stalked by boys without their knowledge. I don't think it's there any more but if you can track your child other people can. Kids will know a million more apps and ways to use smartphones than you.

Children also take videos and pictures of each other and not always in a sweet memory-making way (shock). Is that something that can or should be monitored during breaktime and lunch by busy teachers.

Basically I'm skeptical that the benefits of carrying one outweigh risks and I'm glad our headteacher (who I disagree with on many issues) has a zero tolerance approach.

To the posters that think it's hilarious to track an 11 and 13 year old, how old are you and your kids?

I'm not arguing against children having phones- in fact, both of my own children were amongst the youngest of their peer group to have them. And I think schools are wrong to have a complete blanket ban, although I see why they do. What I am arguing against is the idea that they are a "safety device". And I am absolutely opposed, for many reasons, on tracking children.

Yes. My 12yo gets a bus to and from school. Last year she was distracted on the way home and ended up getting off about 3 stops late. She rang me a bit upset and I was able to look at the tracker, see exactly where she was, and remind her which way to walk.

I got off at the wrong stop on my very first day of secondary school, too early rather than too late and in the city centre as I had to change buses. If I had had a phone I would have definitely rang my mother. But I didn't so I worked it out myself, walked to the bus station and it was all OK.

And after that I felt much better about the journey I had to do as I knew I had the capability to solve what seemed at the time to be quite a big problem.

They're really weren't! That's a ridiculous exaggeration.

From memory, there were two along my DDs' 30 - 40 minute walk.

There were pay phones on every corner when we traveled to school without phones. Those no longer exist. A phone is a necessary safety item, just like change for the pay phone was in the olden days. There is no reason students should not be able to have phones switched off in their bags. I wouldn’t be looking for alternatives, I would be raising it with the school.

@Totaly I have read the thread. No answers.

Lots of schools have this rule. The kids just turn them off or have the volume off, they soon get used to doing that. And you’ll find certain teachers won’t care and others will come down hard on them if they hear a phone. Again, the kids soon get to know which teachers are bothered. I’d let him take a phone.

We appear to be enabling a disturbing overreliance in technology and Big Brother monitoring. Troubling.

Why not?

Read the thread for answers?

Why not?

Last year she was distracted on the way home and ended up getting off about 3 stops late. She rang me a bit upset and I was able to look at the tracker, see exactly where she was, and remind her which way to walk

Gosh could she not work out to walk the other way? Or use doodle maps? Or get the bus 3 stops back?

Mine are all teens and I’ve never tracked one of them - I have friends still tracking their 20 year olds and get cross that they want it deleted. I don’t want to be tracked - why would anyone else. It creates all sorts of anxiety.

Back then there was a phone box on every street corner.

@Calloffruity well, in the first instance-couldn't she have just found herself on Maps or whatever and that would have shown her the way home? And in the second-a quick call or text "I'm in Costa.." No need for tracking!

This was the approach of my son’s school in West London. He was travelling 30-40 mins on tube but school did not care. He initially had a Nokia but now has a smartphone. All the children have phones despite the rule. I felt quite stressed about this rule so he took a Nokia and kept it hidden in his bag.

And to add, DH and I are on the tracker too so we can all see where each other is. We are a close family unit, it's nice to know where everybody is and sometimes useful, none of us have anything to hide so why not take advantage of the technology

Yes. My 12yo gets a bus to and from school. Last year she was distracted on the way home and ended up getting off about 3 stops late. She rang me a bit upset and I was able to look at the tracker, see exactly where she was, and remind her which way to walk.

Another time she decided to walk home with friends but they were seriously dawdling, hanging around in and out of shops, walking a funny way. It was getting quite late and we needed to go out with DD. We were able to see exactly where she was, drive and pick her up on our way out.

Can somebody please explain the circumstances in which the ability to track a teenager would be useful or beneficial?

Quite surprised by the responses here. My kids school, like most in my area, ban smart phones (as in total ban, kids aren't allowed them at all). Brick phones are allowed if turned off and not used in school. Bag checks are done semi-regularly. It's much better - no distractions and reduces muggings (inner London).

I know right that's so completely ridiculous in Secondary School esp if the go off their normal path to hang out with friends.

Heavens forbid

Good luck when you get to that hurdle

It depends how reliable the DC is

My DS would keep his phone on silent all day

DD would always forget to put it on silent so had to turn it off completely because obviously it would get confiscated

The point is they are learning to be responsible and to move away from their helicopter parents apron strings

Soon you'll only be tracking them via find my friends to see where there are a midnight

I wonder how we all managed before mobile phones were invented 🙄
you surely don’t need to put tags or trackers on your kids ffs !

So long as the phone is turned off whilst in school and kept in their bag then that's fine

They can then turn it back on once they've left the premises

If the DC is stupid to take it out whilst in school then it will get confiscated and they'll soon learn not to do it again