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?

[hotdiggedy]

Stop telling the op what she should have done. It's pointless and irrelevant. The school should have a better system or a ban on phones unless in exceptional circumstances. They didn't so it's their fault it went missing. Didn't your children tell a teacher at the time?

[sleeponeday]

I opened the thread thinking you were whining that you sent your child to school with a phone, and held the school responsible for its loss. When I read the actual OP I changed my mind. They insisted the phone be handed over, and then they put absolutely no protections in place to ensure its safe custody. That's incredibly careless. It was foreseeable and avoidable, and they did nothing to prevent it.

The problem is, funds in schools are so tight I doubt there would be any obvious way to pay for a like for like replacement. And if you argue on this you will damage your relationship with them. It's a bummer, but with schools I tend to be a big advocate of picking your battles. This would be a situation for a cheapie pay as you go replacement and a silent seethe at the incompetence, if it were me.

Really sympathetic over it, though. Crassly stupid on the school's part. Phones are clearly high value items and likely to be stolen if not properly stored.

[shalom1]

If people are saying that the children shouldn't bring phones.....be it expensive or cheap.....what do you say to a school staff who threw away my daughter's school shoes.....should I get the school to pay for them or next time don't buy £70 shoes from Clarkes. Or better still not allow her to wear shoes to school

[JustBimblingAlong]

Shalom1 What on earth has your 'shoe' situation got to do with the OP's phone situation? And why are you bringing it up on here? I'm assuming a member of staff didn't remove shoes from your child's feet and throw them away...and therefore the shoes were thrown away by accident (because a member of staff wouldn't simply throw away a pair of shoes for the sake of it!)...so you are of course being ridiculous! Start your own 'shoe thread'!

[AutumnSunday]

Not read all the thread yet but I wouldn't be happy about this, then again ds, who is also 10 in Y5, wouldn't be allowed to take a phone into school at all. Not that he has one.

Seems quite a lax routine. Do the school not know which children bring phones in each week?

[AutumnSunday]

Just to add, if the school allow phones to be brought in they should take steps to make sure those phones are safe and handed to the correct owner at the end of the day.

[shalom1]

Just biming.....don't be rude

[hks]

Personally I'd tell school they are responsible and should be doing more to make sure phones are returned to the correct owner surely they can send letters home to parents or put it newsletter school website and it may get returned not I'd contact police as technically a thief in school.

[hks]

The S1 boy's in my daughter's high school had their phones stolen during a pe lesson they had all put their phones in a box but staff forgot to lock door and someone stole the lot they found out who did it but had no proof

[Horsepower9]

School should reimburse you. It was left in their care following their rules. After reading your family dynamics it is perfectly reasonable that the children should carry a phone,

[silvergirl267]

Having been a primary school teacher I would think if the school has said the kids need to hand in phones, then it is their responsibility to keep them in a safe location. As has been previously said, I'd go softly softly with the school to begin with, rather than going in all guns blazing. If however you do not get a satisfactory answer, I'd be a bit harder with them. Schools may be on a tight budget but if they insist on keeping a child's property it should be kept safely. Ask if they have a policy on this matter and if so was the policy implemented in this case. And I hope it turns up!

[JustBimblingAlong]

Shalom1...I'm 'Bimbling' along...not 'Biming' (just to clarify the verb)...and not being rude either! Your post has nothing at all to do with the OP's situation and EVERYTHING to do with your own which doesn't even compare to what has happened to the OP's child's phone! And you ARE being ridiculous suggesting that your solution to your own situation is to 'not allow her to wear shoes to school'. As I suggested...start your own thread and people will offer their advice to you, for YOUR situation without you hijacking someone else's thread!

[Overshoulderbolderholder]

When I worked in a school, if a phone had to be handed in it was put in an individual plastic zip bag with the students name and locked away until the said student claimed it. If the school are having to deal with dozens upon dozens upon dozens of phones being handed in everyday, then I would assume that..

1. They are lax at applying school policy of no phones
   
2. They have a make shift and shoddy system of what to do with the phones that are handed in each day.

[Sparklyglitter]

Not sure you will get anywhere with the school but that is absolutely outrageous! The rules were followed the school need to keep them safe! But schools have a habit of not agreeing they are wrong so not sure if they will ever admit it! 🙁

[xmb53]

Have you tried ringing the phone and see if someone answers it?

[cheval]

Guess if there's no signing in system, there's no way you can prove children left the phone with school. So don't think you can force them to replace. Surprised they use such a casual system with expensive items. My children are older so didn't have phones at primary stage. But did at secondary and used to lose them all the time, at my expense.

[KittyVonCatsington]

Just pointing out that if it had been 'stolen' intentionally, the phone would have been turned off and out of action already. The fact that you keep hearing it ring until voicemail kicks in, infers that it is still where your DSS left it or was taken by accident and will be returned Monday.


Still don't think Primary aged children need a mobile phone, let alone a bloody smartphone. That's a very powerful computer you have let them loose on.

[Serialweightwatcher]

School should pay - they were looking after them because kids not allowed to so there should be correct system in place that these phones are handed back to children and signed for to say received

[shalom1]

Just BimblingAlong.... don't be rude.

[Natsku]

I think the school should be responsible and they ought to have a safer system as that sounds far too casual. Hopefully its just been accidentally taken home by another child and left in their school bag and will be back on Monday.

I do find it odd though that they can't look after their own phones. The rules in my local school is that phones have to be switched off/put on silent at the start of the day and kept in their backpacks.

[aquashiv]

I've high value phones kept at home so they can use via wi fi. Cheap ones for off site never bring any high value stuff to school. It's not fair on them or kids.

[Notmuchtosay1]

I haven't read all replies. But I thought I'd say that my older 2 are meant to hand their phones in. Year 8 and 11. The oldest has never handed it in just switches off in his bag. The year 8 hands it in but they have to sign in and out. Surely that is normal? It it's an iPhone can you track it or block it? Maybe that has been said already?

[ProphetOfDoom]

If it's ringing out maybe it's slipped down the back of the drawer or been put in another one by mistake?

[mamma125]

God I find this site infuriating at times...
Perfectly reasonable for the kids to have phones in the circumstances. My OH has given me his old iPhone 5s, don't know how much it is to buy one new but it's a lot I imagine. As his contract has run out he's got a new phone and it's no cost to him nor skin off his nose for me to have the old phone he no longer uses. Why would I go and buy a new phone when I can have one at no cost?
Don't see why that is an issue.
And as for the school, they should have something in place to prevent this, not sure what they can do about it now though

[BreconBeBuggered]

So much drama, judginess and speculation on this thread, and in all likelihood the phone will turn up very soon. Unless OP's children are on half-term this week, of course. I'd be interested in hearing about the shoes, though.