Mobile phone ban on overseas school trip

[anotherglass]

12 year old son is due to go on his first overseas school trip to Belgium later this month.

There is a strict ban on children using mobile phones during the trip.

Part of the trip will involve a period of up to 2 hours where children will be allowed to wander around an open, retail precinct - unsupervised. Teachers will not be far and kids will have cards - in the local language - to hand to someone if they are in trouble, during this activity.

Parents were not made aware of this unsupervised element of the trip, prior to making payment.

I am nervous not only about this element, but also the fact that there is a heightened risk of terrorists attacks during the period of the trip, which coincides with Euro 2016.

AIBU to insist on son being allowed to take his mobile phone on the trip?

I'm glad for this thread. At first I agreed with the op, just give ds a inexpensive mobile and tell him to keep quiet, sorted. But reading this thread has changed my mind.

Not at all the same thing, but the lessons are. When ds was very little no candy was allowed at lunch time. I thought it a silly rule since ds ate well and I felt I knew best. But it was a school rule (though easier to be called out on) and I adhered to it. One mother constantly sent in chocolate with her daughters lunch precisely because 'she knew best'.

It put the daughter in such a tight spot. She guiltily looked at it during lunch, wanting it but knowing the rules said no. The other children were kind of envious but also knew it wasn't allowed and were a little 'what the heck?' About it. Like I said I know it's not the same but the rule thing is.

What genuinely confuses me is why you'd entrust your DCs at all to people you so clearly regard with utter disdain?

Another typical teacher comment. If I criticised something a particular doctor did would you ask why I ever entrust my health to any health professional considering that I regard them all "with utter disdain".

ary, I'm really surprised that any school doesn't have a cascade system to tell parents the time they will be back. For our school, a single text sent by the party leader triggers a text sent to every parent by 1 contact person in the UK, who also receives any replies that say e.g. 'I can't get there at that timer, please can my child be picked up by Mrs Z'. And we're a primary, not a secondary - bigger schools usually have much more advanced communication systems.

In other words, the fact that your secondary school has problems with communications is something that needs to be addressed on an individual basis - it is not a reason why all parents from all schools should be demanding that their child should take a mobile phone on every trip.

I went on a residential trip to Belgium when I was 12. Mobile phones weren't invented. Frequently allowed to wander round shops etc. in small groups (rule was we had to go round in threes at least.) Strangely, no-one died.

teacherwith2kids I didn't at any point suggest that all parents should ignore a ban on mobile phones. I was quite happy when DDs' primary school did this on residentials. I was just saying why I will ask my child to take her phone on secondary school trip because I do not trust her school to communicate, based on my previous experience. Many posters didn't seem to think my reasons were good enough because teachers are always right, rules must not be broken, anyone who disagrees is undermining and entitled, bla bla bla

So if you wouldn't mind if there were no school trips why are you continuing so send your children on them?

As for your sneering comments about teachers I could just as easily say that your comments are typical of entitled parents who breed entitled children, making the whole job of teaching more difficult.

Why do you think the recruitment problem is worsening?

Well talk to the school about your dissatisfaction with communication then.

Mary please can you point out to me where I said you regarded all teachers with utter disdain? Unless your DCs attend several different schools at the same time I'd have thought it obvious that the ones you "entrust them to" was a reference to their current school staff?

Well talk to the school about your dissatisfaction with communication then.

I don't need to complain because the policy has now changed. Anway, DD prefers me not to complain. Apparently it often backfires on the pupil.

As for your rude "bla bla bla" I hope your attitude isn't conveyed to your children but I suspect it is

So if you wouldn't mind if there were no school trips why are you continuing so send your children on them?

Because they want to go because they don't want to sit in the classroom while all their friend are on a trip.

As for your rude "bla bla bla" I hope your attitude isn't conveyed to your children but I suspect it is

Another typical teacher comment (on here)!

The policy has seemingly changed because so many parents flouted it.
More fool the school for allowing themselves to be undermined.

And what do you mean by "backfires on the pupil"? That's a pretty serious allegation.

Ever wondered why teachers make such comments faced with parents making comments as rude and undermining as yours?

You child is going away on a school trip...so let's think of all the things that can go wrong, focus on that and forget all about what a brilliant opportunity it is and all the benefits of the trip.
Kids went in trips before mobile phones were invented.
I think it's a bloody good idea to ban phones on a trip. If your child is 12 and you have decided they can go...then the 12 years you have had to teach them how to be responsible, sensible and aware should stand them in good stead...unless you haven't managed to do that.

Marymary, clearly you are right, and the rest of us a wrong

As for needing a phone to play games on a long coach journey - what's wrong with books?

They will probably all at some stage of their lives be somewhere where they are not allowed to use phones and there is no cheating, or cannot get a signal. A trip is a good chance to get used to it with the added bonus that they can interact with the others and observe the place they are going to see.

More fool the school for allowing themselves to be undermined

Absolutely

And isn't rather a lot being taken on trust here? As in the school didn't have a pre-trip meeting / nothing was said about mobiles in advance / everyone else had a phone / they clearly have communication problems / staff were unaware of policies, etc?

I obviously can't know in this particular instance, but don't parents occasionally claim not to know about something, when actually they've simply preferred to ignore information which didn't quite suit?

The thought had occurred to me as well. These parents are usually the ones whose children also claim not to be aware of policies and procedures.

"phones at school? My children go to a large inner city school with no catchment area. The majority of children get there via public buses and trains (sometimes more than one and sometime from different towns/cities) so a no phone policy really isn't practical considering that there are very few pay phones anywhere nowadays."

You asked about the policy on trips. Not the policy on ordinary school days.

And what do you mean by "backfires on the pupil"? That's a pretty serious allegation.

An consequently I haven't an official allegation. I am just telling you on an annoymous forum why I don't make complaints. Obviously, she may be wrong but I'm not going to risk it for her sake.

Ever wondered why teachers make such comments faced with parents making comments as rude and undermining as yours?

If someone made a comment about an individual in my professional I wouldn't start telling them off about their attitude and presuming that they get their children to undermine other people in the profession. You are talking to me as if I am one of the children you teach rather than an adult who is entitled to have my own opinions and to express their opinions.

Yabu. Stick to the rule for this incredibly over organised trip.

It's clear that the mobile phone bans will slowly drop away over time and that's probably ok. While they exist, stick to them. However, it's also clear that mobile phones on trips are wanted for the benefit of the parents.

And isn't rather a lot being taken on trust here? As in the school didn't have a pre-trip meeting / nothing was said about mobiles in advance / everyone else had a phone / they clearly have communication problems / staff were unaware of policies, etc?

It is a bit pathetic to try to "win" the debate by accusing me of making things up. If you are going to do that there really isn't much to debate is there?