School lost DS' phone

[ICancelledTheCheque]

I could use some perspective on how to handle this please.

Background - blended family, DHs children live with us. They aren't keen on sleeping over at their mums but they do it once a week. We gave them both our old phones when our contracts were up so they could stay in touch with us. They're 10, in Y6.

That means that once a week they have to take their phones into school. School have a rule that they have to be handed in to the office in the morning and collected in the afternoon.

However SDS phone has gone missing and wasn't there to collect on Friday afternoon.

The school basically just require the kids to place them in a drawer and it's transpired that they don't supervise them collecting the phones at the end of the day so anyone could take anyone's phone.

I can't help but think that if the school want to impose a rule that the children can't look after their own property, they should take reasonable steps to look after the phones on behalf of the kids! I feel that they've been negligent in allowing it to be lost or stolen.

The phone is worth £120. Should the school pay for it or do we just accept it's one of those things and suck it up?

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

School's argument would probably be that the children shouldn't have items such as that in school in the first place, and they may just crack down on that policy.

It wouldn't work as an argument. By having this arrangement, they are allowing children to bring the phones in regularly. If they don't want pupils to do this they should enforce it properly, e.g. by saying pupils will be punished for bringing phones in, or confiscating the phones and locking them away for several days or even weeks.

Walking around with an expensive phone makes them a target for thieves, as you have now found out.

Not so. They children weren't walking around with the phone when it was stolen.

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

I think the school would probably argue that they have no way of knowing whose phone is whose.

Except they have. They could make the children put labels.

They will not want to free up a member of staff to deal with this issue at the end of the day. They undoubtedly don't want the responsibility of looking after these phones.

Then they should ban them absolutely and enforce the ban. By having this system in place they are allowing children to bring phones in, and when they go in the drawer the school is taking responsibility.

[Yamadori]

I'm assuming that you have reported the theft to the school? It may be that this isn't the first time one has been pinched from the drawer, and they need to tighten up their procedure a bit.

The school needs to take some sort of action to prevent it happening again.

[Meadows76]

Only on netmums could a stolen phone be justifiable by 'you should have bought them a cheap phone' and 'they shouldn't have a phone at that age'. Stick with the facts. Kid takes phone to school, school takes phone, phone goes missing. It doesn't matter what SHOULD have happened. In this case the child acted upon instruction given by school, adhered to rules put in place by school and subsequently phone has gone missing. Now I agree that the system is not a workable one and something needs to change, but in this instance I would say that responsibility does lie with school.

[voxnihili]

At the school I work at we would pay up but only if the phone had been left in the correct place (as yours had been).

[lougle]

I think, as a school governor, that my line would be that we have no obligation to safeguard children's belongings on the premises. However, if we have agreed to do so, by taking custody of those belongings, then we were then responsible for the safekeeping of them and should replace the item. I would then be looking to change our policy to state that we do not take custody of children's belongings.

[ilovesooty]

This isn't netmums.

[catkind]

Never mind the phone, shouldn't the school be dealing very seriously with the fact that one of their pupils is a thief?
If school won't deal, would it be completely out of proportion to call 101? I've never owned posh phones, but would have thought theft is theft.

[Meadows76]

Fuck me another autocorrect. I be never even used netmums so god knows why my iPad likes it so much!

[FlabulousChic]

The school should replace it they lost it or allowed it to be taken

[FlabulousChic]

The cost is irrelevant makes no odds on it's worth

[Ncbecauseitshard]

A £120 phone is not an expensive phone that makes someone a target. A £600 phone is a target. It might not even have been the most expensive one in the drawer.

The school stored the phone and lost it. If they can't afford to replace it they shouldn't have stored it.

[ICancelledTheCheque]

We are going to the police station to report the theft/loss - our network provider need a crime number to replace the SIM card apparently

DH thinks that the police will ask the school some questions which may prompt them into investigating. TBH if the school had a blanket ban on phones then I'd welcome that (they won't be taking them in again regardless) but the school say the kids can take them in and keep them in the office. They're voluntarily assuming responsibility for the phones so I'd have hoped it was only reasonable to assume they'd look after them...

[ICancelledTheCheque]

Oh and there are kids at school that have iPhone 6s, apple watches etc... my SDS hand me down 5c phone certainly wouldn't be the most expensive item in there!

[gamerwidow]

I wouldn't expect the school to replace and I expect they have a policy somewhere that says phones are left at your risk.
In your position I'd report as stolen and claim on your insurance.

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

DelphiniumBlue, no-one should have to suck up an avoidable loss of £120 to protect school budgets. The budget is the school's responsibility, and it is open to them to protect themselves from this sort of claim by having better systems in place.

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

Stupid question, OP: I take it you've tried phoning the number?

[cansu]

I seriously doubt the police will be asking the school questions with regard to this crime! How on earth could they investigate? Plus in all honesty it is highly like.y that your child has lost or broken the phone and does not want to admit it.

[alltouchedout]

I think if the school have a rule that kids who have brought phones in must leave then in a place specified by the school, the the school need to take responsibility to ensure that the phones are safe in that place.

[ICancelledTheCheque]

Lol yes, we have phoned the number and it just rings out.

He most definitely hasn't lost or damaged the phone. My twins are the worst liars in the world anyway but given that they both handed their phones in at the same time I have no reason to disbelieve them.

[mysistersimone]

Off topic I know but lovely that you call your stepsons 'my twins'

[Notso]

School need to change procedure, I would badger them into it. I wouldn't expect them to pay £120 for the phone though, especially when you have said it was free. Could you claim on insurance?
If the phones are only used at their Mums maybe it would have been a better idea to keep them there and support the school in the no phone policy.

[schbittery]

yadnbu, choice/price of phone is irrelevant. The school has a rule which they duly followed, and the school lost the phone. They are liable. Problem of course is that because it's such a lax system you can't prove they put the phone in the drawer in the first place. I think I'd speak to the person I the school office and see what they suggest. I'd like to think theyd offer to pay half.

All those criticising them having phones or the cost of the phones, I take it you don't have a year 7+ child yet? They all have phones and many have much more expensive ones than £120. It is actually quite hard to buy a "basic" phone these days and makes your child a laughing stock.

My y7 child gets public transport to school and the phone is invaluable for peace of mind and letting us know where he is. I work so every day is different and he needs to be able to contact me so we can coordinate where to pick him up etc. I can't always answer the phone so we need whatsapp and email, which don't work on basic phones. Plus he has to navigate train strikes and delays so uses the phone to check revised timetables and let me know if I need to let the school know he'll be late etc. I bought him a new smartphone to facilitate this and gave it to him halfway through year 6 so he could gradually get used to having it on the odd occasion, how to use it before he really needed it, and to get used to the responsibility of keeping hold of it. Gradually, before he stared secondary school. Friends who bought them basic or cheap phones just before year 7 have mostly spent more that I have now as they were swiftly lost, dropped, cracked, stopped working etc etc. False economy in my book.

Also the ones that were suddenly given phones with no build up for year 7 and sent off to school with them alone are the ones who have become embroiled in messaging issues, sexting, inappropriate usage, cyberbullying etc as they weren't taught slowly and gently how to use them responsibly. Youre doing the right thing OP, especially with them staying in another house where they aren't comfortable.

[JacquesHammer]

the school cannot accept responsibility

Except they did - they insisted the children left them in the office therefore accepting responsibility for looking after them.

My DD10 has an iphone. She sometimes takes it to school if she's going to the other parent's house. This is WITH the express agreement of the school and with a safe plan in place to look after it.

[ilovesooty]

How is email any more useful than texting brief arrangements to someone who can't answer their phone?