Yondr pouches - why are some parents against them?

[aperolspritzbasicbitch]

I’ve seen a lot of comments (online, never come
across anyone is real life, although it’s not a conversation I’ve had much) from parents that are massively against their child’s school supplying them with Yondr pouches.

For those of you that don’t know, they are fabric pouches with a magnetic closure. Pupils are expected to put their phones in them when they start school, and use the magnets stationed around the exits of the school to undo them at the end of the day.

My child’s school use them, and I have no negative opinions about it at all. They haven’t pulled the idea out of their arse or stumped up the cost for no reason - phones were obviously causing an issue.

I can’t see why any parent would be backing their child up with a refusal. Although, that wouldn’t stand in my child’s school. They would be suspended if they are caught without their phone in the pouch. Spot checks are done during the day.chat

Yes they would but it's fun reading excuses from parents 😂😂😂 if your kid needs to phone you there's always the phone in the office

I might be being dense here but....the kids who have figured out how to open the pouches or put a fake phone in...well they can't be using their actual phone during school time because it would be seen and confiscated.
So does it really matter if they have a phone in their bag? They can't use it.

That’s when they hit the toilets! And as you can imagine toilets, phones and young people who don’t follow rules are not a good mix.

It would be so helpful if more parents supported schools with these measures, especially those parents who know their DC have 2 phones, one they put in the pouch and the other in their bag

Local schools have also invested in wands so that can help a bit finding phones not in pouches and making it an automatic suspension rather than detention if a phone is found/used

@sittingonabeach I thought one of the other things about schools is they barely get any time to go to the toilets....even when they actually need to use them 🤷

Toilets are a nightmare in schools for many reasons!

I hope those kids who hide a second phone accept that they could searched and the phone confiscated - some schools keep them until their end of the week and can only be returned if a parent comes into the school to collect it.

Can you not log in and see if she’s been marked present? All the secondary schools round here have a website that you can log into and check attendance marks which updates pretty quickly.

Our school went from "turned off and in bags" to Yondr pouches and they've said the difference is really significant.

A lot of kids are really addicted to their phones. Knowing that the phone is "available" - ie if they go to the loo, out of sight of teachers etc - is just a thought that's always there and ticking away.

Feedback from the school is that after the change (and they ran a trial in certain year groups first so they can be fairly confident) they saw behaviour improve, social connections in breaks and lunchtime , attendance at clubs increased, loo visits in class time decreased.

To help to mitigate the "fake phone" issue parents fill in a form at the start of each year setting out what their child's phone model is and whether the child generally takes it to school. Again not fully foolproof as a system as some parents are shit, but as a system it's working pretty well and I'm happy that it's proportionate.

Im genuinely not sure about them. I could be convinced either way. I see lots reporting benefits. However, i dont know how much is placebo or how long lasting they are. The costs are not trivial (& are ongoing), money is tight & i do wonder if this is the best use of funds. The independent article suggests that they dont have a long term impact in all schools.
I wonder if simply placing the phone in a cheap generic velcro pouch would have the same impact when combined with the increased sanctions and emphasis & routine. I dont know.

Because they cost about 20quid per student, per year which is money better spent elsewhere.

Because if you can't control your students phone usage without gimmicks, then the gimmick isn't going to control it either (obedient students don't need the pouch, disobedient students will find a way around the pouch)

Velcro pouch would still leave power and temptation in children's hands.

I guess all I have is the data and feedback from our own school that they've felt ongoing benefits and those benefits haven't dropped back in the 3-4 years they've been in place. Overall seems like a net positive.

From talking to teachers at our school, and as a governor at a different secondary, splitting kids into "obedient" and "disobedient" doesn't really reflect reality, especially when it comes to addictive devices like phones. Making it harder for them to give in to temptation seems to have benefits.

I totally agree that the yondr pouch & similar are the only way to have a physical barrier. It is just is that the best 'solution'.
If you have a kid who follows the rules them being told they must use a device to physically prevent them from accessing their phone does seem uncomfortable in some ways. It underlines they arent trusted. However, that might be worth it for schoolwide benefits.

Like i say - im on the fence. I can see why they're used and the potential benefits. But i dont think they are without issue.

C’mon, it’s completely pointless. 🤣🤣

Kids get a second phone and put a shitty old one in the pouch. My 17yr old does this and his knackered old phone was locked inside the pouch all summer ready for beginning the farce again this September. DS keeps his real phone switched off at the bottom of his bag all day and only uses it on the bus.

I think it shows a lack of backbone from the senior management in dealing with the actual offenders directly. Same as not dealing adequately with bullying allegations either.

Our school doesn't have anything, but they also have fairly good behaviour around phones. The previous school that my DS went to have introduced some kind of cage - parents don't have an issue with them in principle, but do have an issue with the cost. They will charge parents £60 if they are lost or damaged, and parents say they weren't consulted and it wasn't in the parental agreement sent out over the summer. Some have already become damaged, in the first week. It's a deprived area, and the lack of consultation with parents is the annoyance as parents will be footing the bill (and it has a terrible behaviour problem, when DS was there he had so many things vandalised or stolen)

My kids school have been using them for a year. We are in Ireland and government funded them in every school. They have made a huge difference. My kids didn't go on their phones during class so that was never an issue for me but my dd has said break times are great fun, no one has their phones so they play card games, chat and shock horror socialise. Last year was her 4th year in secondary and she got to know so many more people as a result. Of course there will be those that try to flout the rules and get by them but come on teenagers have been doing that since the year dot. My school toilets were full of kids smoking in the 90s. For the vast majority of kids they will get used to sticking their phone in the pouch and collecting it on their way home with no further thought given.

I feel like the kind of kids that have gone out of their way to bypass the use of the pouches are the very kids that have caused them to be introduced in the first place.

I’d be really pissed off if my child wasn’t listening to the basic rules that their school have put in place.

Why does he need a second phone if he doesn’t use the one in his bag? Have you discussed this with him? how would you feel if he was suspended

For those posters who turn a blind eye to their DC flouting the rules will you tell them to do the same in any places of employment where phones have to be locked away?

I am assuming she means he doesn't use AT school but uses if going to and from school.
Which is what millions of workers do everyday.
When at work their phone stays in their bag/locker/desk and they don't use it during work hours.

That's the difference.
Work places have rules which are usually you don't use your phone during work hours.
It sits in your bag/locker/desk - not in a pouch.
If school is meant to be teaching work life skills then surely they should be teaching to follow that rule.

Most schools don't have lockers so the pouch is the next best thing

The poster says he had 2 phones with him, one which he doesn’t use he puts in the pouch and then keeps another phone in his bag. The pouch is unlocked at the end of the day so need to have 2 phones unless using it in school

From what some people have said they don't bother unlocking the pouch with the fake phone in.
It just sits locked in the pouch all year.
Apparently some don't even put a phone in. Just something that's the same size and weight.

School students have bags though.
Where their phone can sit quietly doing nothing during the school hours 🤷