head teacher asks parents not to use phones at school pick up - what a great idea

[Crumpetdisappointment]

East Sussex: Head teacher urges parents to put their phones away - BBC News

i couldnt find a thread on this, but good for him

i remember years ago walking home behind a man with two children permanently talking on his mobile, while his kids were ignored

what a lovely idea

I think its utterly ridiculous that this even needs saying yet alone from the head teacher.

You don't know what that parent was discussing on his phone though? Could have been something urgent/ important.

Been a rule at DDs school for years... no phones allowed to be used on the playground.

Obviously they can't control what goes on beyond the school gate.

for the whole walk?

DC school had this rule. Was never followed. I'd sometimes have colleagues ringing me for something urgent. Can't be helped sometimes.

your colleagues can wait 10 minutes surely

As long as there’s adequate and affordable wrap around care that means people aren’t having to juggle work and pickup/drop-off fine… if not then schools don’t get to dictate how parents get through the day.

saying that I mainly use my phone in the playground to avoid small talk with the other parents so would grudge being told not to either way

If the kids are released on time then yeah sure! Otherwise the fifteen minutes (average) I'm waiting will be spent on work emails thanks very much.

A lot of parents work from home.
Between 3pm and 3.30 - ie the typical school pick up and walk home time - many of these parents are technically still at work and have to stay connected.

Luckily, despite what they think, teachers can't tell other adults what to do.

Excellent idea.

I used to be on a conference call, and would go off-camera but still listen whilst I took 20 minutes out to do the school run (agreed with my boss). Often meetings are only an hour or so, but sometimes straddled the school run. As usual assumptions being made about why parents are on their phones in the first place.

Totally ruins the idea that they officially take their lunch break at this time and it doesn't affect their productivity.

I suppose it also explains the parents on their phones while driving...

Is it really? It's just lip service. Parents who care, wouldn't do it frequently anyway/without a good reason , in which case you're adding extra pressure to people who are trying and juggling a dozen things already and parents who don't, won't give a shit anyway so it's pointless.

Imagine this!

I wfh and sometimes have to deal with clients and contractors calling me with something urgent - and sometimes it takes more than 10 minutes to resolve.

I find this whole attitude towards phones incredibly annoying. I'm an adult, I don't need to be told when and for how long I can call someone.

I understand where he's coming from.

I used to watch the other parents in the playground, it always surprised.me how many parents basically ignored their kid.

But, it wasn't just phones.
A lot of parents were talking to each other and the kid would run up and they'd be off handedly dismissed as though they were an interuption to the vital chat. You'd see the kids demeanor change pretty instantly, happiness to disappointment...

I used my phone on the playground as a music player. Ear buds in, no chatting to anyone. The moment my kids door opened, the music would be off and ear buds out. I'd crouch down, she'd run and we'd have a big hug and then natter all the way home.

Oh... And mums with pushchairs, scrolling on their phones on one hand, pushing the pram / stroller / pushchair woth the other and ignoring their kids repeatedly saying,
"Mum, mum, mum, mum, mum"
Only to finally snap...
"What?"
Put your phone away, answer your kid FFS.

And this has been a rant brought you by a lack of coffee. 🥱

I don’t see that as a ‘gotcha’ as (amazingly enough) everyone has different arrangements with their work. The two members of my team work an hour after the DC are in bed. And I am phenomenally grateful when, due to all the other caring commitments my team gave between them, they sometimes make the time during the school run for a call.

this was prepandemic,
you are saying you and your work are more important

I have to be able to take calls during lunch and sometimes before/ after the official hours.

It is sad though that since the pandemic it's normalised to say " I'm going for school pickup" at 3-3.45. For a start you should be working, and for another thing the children don't get a sense of mental space as you're in work mode and they come home and don't have anyone to talk to or play with as you're back to the laptop. I think we need to sort childcare costs and the COL so that people can be legitimately expected to make arrangements for their child to be picked up that doesn't involve double-bubbling their time.

I'm not saying everyone should suck it up and pay more; but we need three things. First, culturally accepted genuine flexible time, not just the blind eye turned that we have today. This is so you're not having to be on the phone in the playground, but going along with that, proper childcare affordable later in the evening in your home so you don't have to make up the hour while also doing childcare. Or, affordable childcare for after school so you can work a straight and clear 9-5 without distractions.

I had to pay for someone to pick them up for 5 years, and now since covid and wfh we mix it up a bit - it's very slightly cheaper but about 100 times more stressful.

My work and me more important than what? Silly school rules? Then yes it is. School is not going to pay my mortgage if I have no job!

no think about it, you are picking your children up and walking the 20 minute walk home, however you are on the phone, and therefore it if is to work, your work is more important than listening to your children tell you about their day

You don't know what that parent was discussing on his phone though? Could have been something urgent/ important.
Whst? Virtually every parent at the same time, every pick up because that's what I'm seeing in schools.
All these parents must be very important to be in such demand all the time!

I work from home. I often take calls on the way to school pick up and while I wait for my kids to come out. That's an extra 30ish mins I'm productively working and not impacting on my kids. Occasionally an urgent call will come through while I walk them home too. But the alternative would be I'm not there for pick up, they need alternative childcare and therefore less time at home and less disposable income for family treats, days out and their extracurricular activities. My job is one which lives depend on, and my kids are proud of what I do.