Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

School rules about phones.

57 replies

seeker · 26/05/2010 18:29

My dd's school has always been relaxed about phones. The school places a lot of emphasis on trusting the girls generally. However, from after half term, they will have to put their phones in their lockers at the beginning of the day and not get them out til the end of the day. I have no problem with them not being allowed to have them during the day. However, I have two concerns. One is what seems to be a sudden change in the relationship of trust between staff and girls. Why not tell them that they have to be turned off and in the bottom of bags in school time? My other concern is the prospect of 1000 girls rushing to their lockers at the end of the day for their phones - they have shuttle buses to catch to connect to public buses home. Is is remotely possible that this "phone stampede is NOT going to create chaos and missed buses? Anyone have any experience?

OP posts:
TheFallenMadonna · 26/05/2010 19:53

Ah well then - that might well be it. And yes, it is horrible to lose trust. But safeguarding is the thing now, and if there has been cybver bullying in school hours, or taking and posting photos in schoo, then the school is going to come down hard. Or face the consequences.

Original poster
seeker · 26/05/2010 19:48

I wondered about cyber bullying - dd said that the assembly mentioned safeguarding, which I know is the latest buzz word. Just seems very sudden, that's all. And bullying could happen any time. But I suppose it wouldn't be the school's problem if it happened between 4,00pm and 9.00am, would it? Just sad about the trust thing.

OP posts:
gherkinwithapurplemerkin · 26/05/2010 19:46

Probably too many people taking the piss - texting under desks etc - has led to blanket ban.

personally I'm in favour of a "No seen, not heard, not worried" stylee poilcy with phones, but confiscated until a parent collects if they are seen.

Locker issue, most schools have a 10 min buffer time for keeping classes in if necc, so time to visit locker should be fine.

TheFallenMadonna · 26/05/2010 19:45

Have they not given a reason? I do suspect theft actually - some children bring very expensive stuff into school. And if it gets taken, parents get very angry. In fact, if it gets confiscated, some parents get rather angry at my school. Scarily so. Or text/facebook bullying?

Original poster
seeker · 26/05/2010 19:41

No - they keep their coats in the cloak room which is on the ground floor near the door. The school site is huge - and very spread out, so they go to their lockers at lunch time and sort out their stuff for he afternoon and going home.

Janeite, do they really? How does that work with 1000 people all queuing to collect their phones?

The previous rule was no phones in lessons - anyone caught got it confiscated til the end of term, but they could use them any other time.

I think it's the sudden change in the trust relationship that bothers me most - it seems to me to be agains the ethos of the school (which they are very proud of) to go from relaxed to draconian so suddenly.

OP posts:
TheFallenMadonna · 26/05/2010 18:38

What was ther previous rule? Even if they were relaxed, I'm assuming that switched off and in the bag was the rule for lesson time anyway. Have there been a number of thefts perhaps?

We don't have lockers, so our rule is out of sight (and hearing!). I see it or hear it, I confiscate it.

janeite · 26/05/2010 18:36

Do they not have to go back to their lockers at the end of the day anyway, to get coats etc?

I think it's a fair enough system actually. Most schools ime would expect them to hand their phone in to the office in the morning and collect it at the end of the day.