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

So what are they actually achieving here? Seems quite useless if parents jump back on the phone seconds after collecting their kids/ walking out of school gates.

These days the expectation is that we're instantly contactable.

Even if you don't work and are a SAHM... If you have two kids at different schools/nurseries then you may very well be called by one while picking up the other, or a call back from the GP, or any number of "legitimate" parenting related reasons you need to be on the phone.

(I personally think a work call, or personal call with a friend, or even reading an article or playing a brief game to decompress are also legitimate).

It's fruitless to push against the tide of mobile phones. I say this as a self-identified Luddite and tech laggard. We all need to be contactable now.

O actually find some of the responses here (that no one can tell me what to do) an interesting contrast to the phones in Secondary school threads.

If a parent won't even not use a phone for five minutes when asked to by a teacher... you ate showing your kids that that school rule doesn't matter. Think about it.

They also can't force you not to smoke or take your dangerous dog onto the school grounds. You can do both of those outside.

See my reply on another thread about an ‘unable to work from home weighting’ !

I think a lot of replies on here depends on how people actually use their phones. I'm don't have social media apps on mine, only use my phone for calls, messages, maps, sometimes news or anything urgent I might need online. So if I'm on the phone, its not for entertainment - so I would not judge others as I can imagine if they are on the phone it is for a reason. Those who use phones primarily for social media, games or entertainment might think that everyone else do the same, and dislike it.

@localnotail sweet fuck all. It's self aggrandising (for HT's and the "i'm better than you " parents) lip service. A tick box exercise.

I’m glad this rule did not exist when my children were at primary school. And I’m really glad that my friends picked up my messages saying “I’m stuck on the train. Can you please collect my children and look after them until I get home??”

You don’t know what those calls are about.

I think it's better for pick up and handover. Teachers would have to try to get parents attention while they were in the phone to handover especially if there were any incidents.

Our school community has issues TBH. Parents being in the phones are the least of the worries.

Hands free only when you are driving a car! I was always reading my book in playground to avoid speaking to other parents.
At secondary school the drive to and from school was our bonding time.
But at moment the other parents I see out and about can’t all have amazing jobs!

My job is far from "amazing" - but its the only one I got, and I have to accept the rules unless I want to end up unemployed!

I don’t care what job you do, as long as if driving a car you use hands free!

Yes but it will breach their "human rights" whatever human rights they are not referring to.#😂

those busy texting, looking at their mobiles 24/7, IMO they have a lover, or lovers on the go IMO. what else could be that important that some are constantly on their phone as don't have a business an neither at the presidents of any nation😂 Before I'm attacked , it was a tongue in the cheeks comment😂
I often wonder, how the f did they mange when there were no mobile pgones

Hang on.

If you were having a conversation with someone, and someone walked up and interrupted you'd think they were SO rude. Same as if the person you were talking to suddenly started ignoring you, and talking TO the person who interrupted you.

Dunno about you lot, but i was always taught it's rude to interrupt a conversation, and i've always taught my kids the same thing.

So no, i wouldn't drop a conversation with anyone to pay attention to my kids, and strangely enough, at pick up, i'm perfectly capable of giving my kids a hug/kiss on the cheek and hold their hand to give it a squeeze without missing a beat in my conversation, to acknowledge them and then when it IS ok to break, pay attention to them then.

I don't need some school teacher twat telling me i'm emotionally stunting my kids by not giving them my immediate, undivided attention the minute they breathe in my vicinity.

It's a brilliant idea. Sadly, the majority of parents think "being connected" means they have to model poor screen behaviour for their children, ignore their children for something which can clearly wait or they simply don't want to go without as they are addicted themselves.
It's a sad world we live in where screens are clearly having a very negative impact on children yet the vast manjority of parents won't recognise this.

He needs to get off his high horse. WAHP are still really working when they run by the school for pick up and can continue to work (emails and calls) while standing waiting.
I doubt many are playing candy crush unless they are avoiding speaking to others.

you cannot assume all parents at this particular school, and others who have implemented the same request, are whp

If your calls and emails are that important stand outside the school gates until your child comes out. Then you can rush in, and out, and continue working.

And a call that covers the entire pick-up time - shall I get my DC’s teacher to wait the extra 30 minutes so that DC never doesn’t have someone to talk to?

Absurd

Yep, it's flipping annoying when people accept a meeting at the time of school run and then spend the whole call clearly not listening, not able to see content or not contributing.

I don’t expect 10 other people to organise their meeting around my DC’s pick-up and as for lunch hour - what’s that?

YANBU OP

My local primary has had posters up for the last 10 years, asking parents to get off their bloody phones for a minute, when they pick up/drop off.

I've also been in shops/cafes where the person behind the counter has refused to serve someone, who's on their phone when they've tried to order.

@boater And a call that covers the entire pick-up time - shall I get my DC’s teacher to wait the extra 30 minutes so that DC never doesn’t have someone to talk to?

Absurd

Not as absurd as you picking up your child when you're supposed to be working.

Obviously, on a private premises, there can have the no phones rule, but they can't enforce it.

If they wanted to ban using of phones in the school grounds , they could come at it from a safeguarding angle.

Although , it is not unreasonable for the school ( or any person in their workplace) to request that during your interaction together, they concentrate on you, not their phonecall.

I'm shocked by the responses here.
I worked in an inner city nursery and children's centre doing language screening and the rapid increase in children with serious language and comprehension delay is a very real issue.
Go and sit on a bus or a train or go to any town centre and you will see parents of little kids with zero interaction happening either because they or the little kids are in phones.
It is a very real issue with serious consequences to development and to those trying to educate.

PP might all be working parents with urgent conversations that need to be had but that is not the overwhelming issue at play here, it's Nanas, parents, siblings everyone as soon as they have a minute or not, scrolling on phones over basic communication with children and each other and it's grim.

So it's all linked to phone use and nothing to do with chaotic lifestyles, incredibly busy lifestyles, neurodiversity etc?