Secondary school smartphone rules

[Echobelly]

I was reading a post online, from the US, about kids just being on their smartphones all day at school, and I don't really understand why schools can't just ban smartphones. My kids' secondary has no smart phones allowed on site at all and it seems to work. No one's on their phone all day and they don't spend time dealing with smartphone issues. They are allowed 'brick' phones that are to be off during the day (both my kids lost theirs within a term or two 🙄) - I'm get the impression that not everywhere has this rule and I'm at a bit of a loss as to why.

What are the rules at your kids' secondary, and do they work?

Our school have Yonder pouches which phones are locked in for the day and the children unlock them on their way out of school. Seems like a good system to me so phones do not impact the school day but the children can use them for commuting.

I gave my daughter an old iPhone which is locked down so she can only use it for calling, texting and looking up bus times as well as listening to music. I don’t think I’d want to be forced to spend extra money on a brick phone by a school policy when I already had something I could make suitable for her by locking down.

DD1's secondary has a zero tolerance rule on phones on site. If they see them, they're confiscated for 5 days - whether or not that's over a weekend, and it's got to be handed back to a parent, which means we're also very supportive of the rule because none of us want to have to go to the school to get it.

The walk to and from school is literally through woods and fields so we'd rather she had a phone with her for the journey.

I have heard about these pouches. Wat a ridiculous waste of money. Pupils are not allowed phones where I work. If wd see them, they have to hand them over. It works relatively well.

I don’t think banning them altogether is always a feasible option, for many the smart phone will also be their bus pass for a start!

ds school has a rule of phones must not be seen at all during the school day which I think is fair enough and by all accounts it is well respected by the children

My 3 teens are all at different schools but pretty much same rules apply to everyone. They all are not allowed to freely use their phones whenever they please so it has to be put away and ideally turned off. But they are allowed to use it lessons with permission. One school is pretty lenient on letting phones being used in school premises before school starts but it depends on the teacher. Two of the schools do not allow any use of it at break and lunch while one does. All of the schools can confiscate it but most teachers generally don't and just give detentions etc.

One local school bans them completely.

Reality is the law abiding children don't take them, but the children who don't care do.

And any issues like bullying on phones the school says "can't possibly be done by our pupils because they're not allowed phones", and washes their hands of any responsibility.
Like the child who was off school sick and received a message telling him to kill himself. Apparently the only way that could possibly have been sent was if he's punched the phone at the weekend and sent it to himself. .. Couldn't possibly be her because she was in school so wouldn't have had it. Police were pretty unimpressed with that reasoning.

I like that ours allow them, but unseen. They deal with issues that come up, but also you get the "can I do this after school" type messages, which is helpful when they're an hour walk away.

One son has to hand them in on arrival.

The other has to have them switched off and they are confiscated if seen.

The reason they allow smart phones is those using public buses and trains have tickets on apps these days plus they can see delays and cancellations so they can replan thier route.

A new rule this school year, kids have to put their phone in a box when they arrive in class, I think the teacher does as well. They get them back at the end of class and repeat with each new classroom they are in. I think my eldest has had to go back and collect his as he's forgotten it a few times.

Yonder pouches here but they have worked out how to undo them..
I am glad she has it for walking home etc so don’t think an outright ban is the right thing .

Similar to posters above - can't be seen during the day unless being used for a lesson. It wouldn't be possible to ban children taking them to school completely as the local bus company only makes the bus passes available via an app.

Things have been tightened up this year - off and in bags/ lockers all day. Last year they were allowed to use them before registration, but that has been stopped this year. I think the new Y7s have to hand them in for the day.

I'm happy with that. I would be very cross if they were only allowed brick phones as DD gets the train to school and that would be next to useless to navigate train delays/ cancellations/ alternative these days.

My DC have to place theirs in a box on the teachers desk when they go into their classroom. Pick it up on the way out. They are allowed to take them at break time if they want, if they don't the teacher locks them in a cupboard and they pick them up after break. DD usually does this.

Technically no phones are allowed at my DC's old school except for 6th formers who are allowed to take them but not get them out except at lunchtime/breaks. Officially younger pupils are supposed to hand their phones in at Reception on arrival and collect at the end of the day, but nobody actually does, which is probably just as well as I can't imagine how the logistics of returning 1000 plus phones at the end of the day would work, especially not at a school serving a largely rural population where missing the bus back home is a significant problem. Most of the kids have their phones in their bags and keep them out of sight, which I never had a problem with mine doing.
But there is zero tolerance if they get caught. Phones are confiscated for a week, reduced to 24 hours if a parent goes in to collect it. One of my DC had his phone confiscated when it rang in a lesson. He had to do without it for a week. I can't see any harm in a silent phone in a bag but if he couldn't manage to switch it off and keep it out of the way then I wasn't going to bail him out! The lesson was learned and it never happened again.

Most diabetic children will need their smartphones for blood sugar monitoring, insulin dosing. But the area I live instituded a zero (with some exemptions) policy in elementary school, and low use in high schools. I gather some school expect students to access educational material online.

School kids just need to learn to follow the "Switched off and in bottom of the bag" rule that most schools have - whether they have a smart or brick phone.
Break the rule then there should be consequences (confiscated etc).
But can you imagine if work places suddenly announced that as well as not being to use your phone during your work shift (normal) you can't even have it in your bag for use on your way to and from work.

DD is a teacher and her secondary school allow only 'brick' phones. She says is works. The feedback from the local police is that there has been a big reduction in the number of street muggings of / thefts of phones from teenagers in the area too

This has been a big advantage for the kids' school - muggers don't target them (well, on weekdays at least) because they know kids from there won't be carrying a smartphone, so that's one less thing to worry about.

The bus pass/smartphone thing is interesting - I guess doesn't apply in London as you can have a Zip Oyster card and don't have to use phones.

We have no phones visible at my school. From when the bell goes at 8.25 until the last bell at 3pm

If we see someone on a phone it gets taken to reception and a parent has to collect it. Child will have 1 hr detention.

I'm not gonna lie they're a pain in the arse! BUT They are useful for quizzes like kahoot or some speed research in the lesson though. I think they can be really useful in the classroom. Actually it's not phones that are so much the problem, rather social media!

My previous school they used their phones at break and lunch which I hated as there was always drama in the school day.

At our school they have to be turned off or silent and in their bags. They are not allowed to go on them during breaks, but the school grounds are big and it isn't likely a teacher would notice if they were far enough away from the building. Sixth formers can use their phones whenever they like in their own lessons/areas, just not in front of younger ones.

About 76% of US schools ban phone use on the premises for non academic purposes.

The US is huge, each state or even school district can make their own regulations.

It's a different country, with a different culture , even WITHIN the US.

Some kids travel really far, some kids go to school on their own a lot younger, some kids walk through really unsafe areas. And of course, they have school mass shootings.