Does your child's school restrict mobile phone usage?

When eldest dc started secondary it was no phones at all and if seen it would be confiscated for 6 weeks but it’s changed this year to switched off and in bag all day and a one week confiscation if seen/heard.

The 6 week confiscation created a lot of hassle whereas parents will live with a one week confiscation. The outright ban no longer works because the arsehole bus company is cashless and you need a smartphone or debit card for the bus and the app on the smartphone is a significantly cheaper fare.

All 3 of my kids schools have a "if we see it, we take it" policy for mobile phones. If a teachers sees a child's phone, they confiscate it. First offence it's back at the end of the day. After that parents have to come in and collect it otherwise they don't get it back.

The school I was referring to had a ban on phones travelling to/from school as well. Hence the question.

Very different if it's one where they're just not used onsite.

I'm in the US - the local elementary schools ban them during the school day. Kids can't use them between 8 and 3, essentially. The high school allows kids to use them between classes and at lunch, but during class, phones have to be put in a phone cubby. It has been a positive move.

So what do they do for kids whose travel tickets are on an app on their phone? Or kids who use apps to monitor blood sugars etc? Or SEN kids who rely on calendars and other apps?

Do they use no apps for homework (we have loads - Satchel, Go4Schools, Memrise, Sparks etc etc)?

In the same way children didn’t need to take their bus pass into the classroom or walk around with it at break or on way to school, it’s kept in their bag like a ticket for their journey. Ditto the medical reasons, it’s used like a piece of medical equipment, not to access social media during school hours.
Calendars and other apps can be used through tablets, or desktops at school and at home - no school can make it compulsory for pupils- particularly SEN pupils- to provide a smartphone for learning administration.

My son’s school uses loads of apps for homework (Sparx, educake, Seneca etc), but that doesn’t contradict the phone ban because he does his homework at home on his laptop. The students who want/need to do their homework at school use the computers in the library at homework club.

Dds school they are allowed it anywhere but classroom if teacher hasnt said so. However no punishment if out only a simple 'put it away' i hate it

Perhaps our school is more disorganised? I wouldn't surprised! 😉

They don't have computers as standard in teaching rooms, only for IT. For older year groups, they use their smartphones, everyone has one. If for reason they don't, they have to share with a friend. Eg. An art activity they had to go around the grounds and photograph things.

For the younger years, they've introduced a scheme whereby parents now need to buy a tablet for use in school/homework. I'm glad we don't have that tbh.

Schools have managed to do many of those communication based things perfectly well without phones for many years. I wouldn’t be keen on a school being so reliant on phones, especially smartphones, for everything. What happens when children don’t have a phone? What happens if they forget their phone?

ds school uses quizlet and similar sometimes but they use the computers not relying on doing work on a small phone screen.

This is largely why I’m unsure of the benefits of draconian bans on phones. The problem is, they’re here, they are part of life, we can’t shut Pandora’s box again. There’s no way schools can enforce children not on phones out of school time.

Our school had a very relaxed policy. Has just brought in the 'no phones to be used in corridors' rule which has not gone down well. In practice, the kids use their phones a lot and are encouraged to use them by teachers. Last minute room changes, changes to sporting fixtures, taking photos of work set on the board to continue for homework, photographing forms to save on photocopying, liaising about transport issues, using Quizlet, accessing their timetables, using Google Classroom etc. How to other schools manage this stuff?

Our school serves a very wide geographical area with lots relying on buses, trains, lift shares etc so not uncommon to need to contact kids during the day.

So what do they do for kids whose travel tickets are on an app on their phone? Or kids who use apps to monitor blood sugars etc? Or SEN kids who rely on calendars and other apps?

Do they use no apps for homework (we have loads - Satchel, Go4Schools, Memrise, Sparks etc etc)?

Or does every child just live round the corner?

We are in NSW, Australia. No phones allowed in any school. Kids can bring them but they must stay in locker / school bag all day.

🤣

Please can you share the name of your DS’s school or if not the area of London. I am passionate about this. My DD will start secondary in sep. mobile phone policy is a consideration along with the commute. Girls schools are her preference. I have a younger DS. Thank you.

@TurquoiseDress I'm in a big city and know a vast number of teens in multiple schools via work I do. I have never heard of a child being mugged for a phone. Phones tend to be tracked and most kids have older models / reconditioned ones so not that desirable. It might happen but not common

This stuck in my head

This actually sounds like a sensible rule

We live in SE London, my kids are primary age but secondary not far off

Our area is generally nice but often hear of school kids being mugged for their phones on way home from school...which is a terrifying thought

This thread has been so interesting to read through, I hope DC future secondary school have similar policies to ban mobiles during the school day

Off and out of sight.

I know a pupil got suspended recently for filming other pupils.

@onetwothreeee what is a phone locker? Never known. Would that work in a really big school?

Phones have to be off in blazer pocket. Confiscated if seen. Happens twice and it's gone into the office and a parent has to come and collect it. It works. Very occasionally a teacher will ask them to use a phone to photograph somet

Yes

Independant schoool where every child has a school laptop, where all the programmes are controlled and every key stroke (can be) monitored.

All the technology is done on the school laptops.

Mobile phones are locked away in phone lockers between 8.30 and 4pm, with no access.
Serious consequences if phones are found on pupils and not in phone lockers.

It works well IMO..... our school have had this no phones policy for at least 7 years.

If any child needs to make a phone call they can go to the office and use the schools landline, and if a parent needs to get a message to their child then they call school (or email)

The school take any communication on the phones (not in school time) seriously, eg social media, whatsapp etc etc...... if children are unkind to each other out of school, it's taken seriously in school.

Total mixed messages here. Phones are meant to be turned off and kept at the bottom of their bags... but they need various apps for homework etc and for some lessons are asked to use their phones for class work.

One secondary school - almost total ban - had to have an exemption from the head to have your phone at school and hand it in daily
Another secondary school - understood that kids needed phones due to distances travelled to school but no use allowed in school time

DC's secondary has a total ban on phones. Not only within the school grounds, but on the way too/ from school, too. And they're v. v. keen on parents removing the phones from their children c. 8pm every evening - which we do.

Apparently some enquiry found that the most common times for bullying - online etc. - is on the way too and from school, and between the hours of 1 and 3am when parents think their children are asleep.