To be sick of having my stuff trashed

[flobird]

Stupid rant and I just want sympathy but I am so fucking sick of giving pens and rulers out only for them to be smashed and thrown across the room or crushed/wrecked.

I feel like I'm constantly replacing stuff

So have they essentially lost their phones for the year now? Or will they get them back on friday?

Back end of the day.

Oh well no wonder they aren't bothered then! Thats no punishment at all. Get the head to change it to all year and you might see results. You'll have a load of parents whinging initially and the kids will kick up but you have to do something. No point doing it half arsed then complaining that it doesnt work.

I'm fairly sure that's unlawful surly

Really? So how come you are able to confiscate them at all? What is the unlawful part? Was my school breaking the law? Or has the law changed on confiscation in 13 years?

Is it unlawful if they have agreed to handing over their phone if caught using it? Surely theyve agreed! (By being in the school they agree to the policies.) So where is the unlawful bit

I don't know surly - I am not sure it would ever have been lawful to confiscate property for the year but now, with contracts, smartphones and increased reliance on them I think it would be impossible. There's also the insurance issue of potentially having thousands and thousands of pounds worth of smartphones in a school belonging to somebody else.

I think making the parent collect the phone works, if anything, but there again the phones themselves aren't the problem - it's the attitudes that go with them. In one of the aforementioned schools I worked in, phones were a frequent sight and no one minded - a cheery 'Phone!' sufficed as a reminder, followed by sheepish smile and the phone going away.

SurlyCue if you attempted to confiscate a phone for a year at my nice area school the parents would be up in arms - the most we can get is a day, and the complaints we had about that was ridiculous.

We even have to stop students taking SIM cards out (not so much now with iPhones) as they have a spare phone in their bag!!

Re cheap pens I only buy cheap pens - pack of 10 from Wilkos' about 50p - annoying as they always have 2 red pens in so I end up with loads. Amazingly in all the years I have used them not one has exploded but students do seem to manage to make any pen explode within seconds of being given one!!

OP I feel for you.

Flobird I get your OP, you just wanted a rant. I don't envy you your job, it must be incredibly frustrating at times possible all the time

I hope tomorrow is a better day and that you get all your pens back.

What about giving them pencils instead? They are less expold'y and might be less susceptible to being stamped on

the parents would be up in arms - the most we can get is a day, and the complaints we had about that was ridiculous.

So? Let them complain. If its legal and its in the policies then theyve agreed to it by sending their child to the school. Let them complain then let them realise there's fuck all point complaining and instead warning their DC not to have it on in class. The stupid ones will replace their DCs phones for them (again and again because they'll get confiscated again) and the smart ones will say "tough shit son/daughter, you knew the school rules now youve no phone for a year." I was sick sore and tired of hearing my mum telling me to make sure i had my phone off in school. She had no issue with the rule. Its not a hard concept to grasp.

Could you give them a pencil instead? In a 'as I can't trust you to behave I will have to treat you like infant school children'

I really don't think it is legal Surly.

I am pretty positive it would constitute unlawful possession or whatever the term is. In any case, it won't happen.

Some students prefer pencils - they still sometimes get lost/wrecked.

SurlyCue sadly a vast majority of parents these days are not like your mum. I would hate to be the poor receptionist who would take the flack. Also sadly we have to pander to parents (or so it seems) as we are all set up in competition with others schools to keep our role up to ensure we stay open - parents who don't agree would start moving students! A very real situation in a lot of areas. Yes losing some of the students would be a benefit but too many and we start losing staff.

To be fair to my students the threat of loss for one day on the whole stops the phone situation - but as I said I teach in a nice school in a nice area.

Then how are you able to confiscate at all? I think its worth finding out tbh. Something needs to change. Whats happening now isnt working.

So? Let them complain. If its legal and its in the policies then theyve agreed to it by sending their child to the school.

You can take it away from the students. But since the parents' names are on the actual phone contract, the phone belongs to them. As soon as the parents ask for the phone back, it must be handed over. Otherwise, it's theft under the law, and no "contract" or "student handbook" can change what the law is.

But... you can keep the phones until parents collect them. Inconvenience the parents enough times, they'll crack down on their kids.

would hate to be the poor receptionist who would take the flack.

Dont they have zero abuse policy? Any flack? End the conversation. Parents wont calm down? Call the police.

As for having to compete for pupils, arent there always loads of people fighting over places? people buying houses in catchment etc?

At our school there is a 'no mobiles at all' rule. Most teachers accept that phones are brought into school, but if you don't see them you will never know.

Any phones 'caught' in school are confiscated. They are taken to the school office and have to be collected by a parent. Parents get very pissed off having to come into school during office hours to collect phones.

Parents can request, under 'exceptional circumstances', that their children bring phones into school. If authorised, these have to be handed into the school office in the morning and collected after school.

It's a policy that generally works. Maybe it's an unusual school...

And where are they going to move them to? Surely other schools dont have dozens of empty seats in their classrooms? I keep hearing of massive class sizes. Over subscribed schools.

Well - anyway - I doubt it will be happening :) Phones, thirteen years ago, were very much in their embryonic stages and were seen as a disruptive influence. Now, they are far more than that and I don't see phones as a bad thing at all.

Even so, I draw the line at playing Angry Birds in a lesson

Now, they are far more than that and I don't see phones as a bad thing at all.

In class?

It depends on the context. They can be a useful tool in class but managed and with permission.

The school may crack down on phones; I'm not sure. I am however positive that confiscating them for a year won't be happening!

You new the very small cheap pencils they have in betting shops or have a school trip round some local Argos's ?

I work at a school in a large town/small city which has 6 Comps, 2 State grammar schools and 1 private school. All of the schools have a Good Rating so yes we do have to compete for students - we frequently have students moving between schools, student numbers are fluid as people move in and out of the area.

Yes we are currently over subscibed but 10 years ago we weren't, and 8 years ago a school in my town closed due to low intake. We have a falling birth rate so being full is very important to protect all our jobs.

As for zero tolerance of abuse - it doesn't mean it doesn't happen to start with and as for calling the police would probably take them an age to turn up it would be pointless.

Things have changed hugely in 13 years from when you were at school - they have changed dramatically since I started teaching not so long ago as well, phones have become, as a PP said, so vital for some students it is much harder to police.

Have just looked on the DfE website re confiscation and for items banned by schools which this would fall into the guidance seems to be a reasonable time - a year I would say is not reasonable.

I heard about one teacher who would exchange one of his pencils for the students chair. No pencil/pen and they spent the lesson standing up! I can imagine that with some student this would just cause more disruption to the lesson though as they went on about their "human rights" etc . This was quite a while ago.

I am however positive that confiscating them for a year won't be happening!

Funnily enough, so am I!