Teachers should ban the use of smart phones in school

[viridus]

Schools are so hypocritical, they say that phones are only used at lunchtimes, but allow them to be used in class.
Education is becoming corrupt and education and fairness has gone. Children who have cheap phones see this and are ridiculed. Teachers stand by allowing these things to happen. After all, it is also them who allow bullying to continue too.

And how would the 'hand in your phone at the start of the day' work in a school of 1000+ kids? It would add 30 mins either side of the school day, just queuing.

I use phones as a really useful piece of technology that we simply can't afford as a school to provide. Eg using the Internet for research, using online voting quizzes etc. There's always at least one phone per group. I don't think there's any bullying over it. If bullying is going to happen, it will - the phone issue is just an excuse.

There are 1700 children in my school. There are not enough spaces in isolation for phone related issues. Isolating is reserved for more serious issues.

Yes, it's a pita, but unless the student repeatedly used their phone, therefore not following instructions, there's little you can do.

Op you are making some very sweeping statements

'Education is becoming corrupt'

'teachers... allow bullying to continue too'

Do you actually work in a school? I do, and what you are alleging is rubbish.

And re phones - we confiscate on sight.

Giraffes, dd's secondary was a large school. Don't know how it worked but it did, possibly by persuading the kids that it was too much of a hassle to take the phone in unless you really, really needed it. As far as I know this was an entirely school-led initiative, driven by teachers who got fed up with inattentive students and teaching interrupted by people's phones going off.

Of course there were cases when students smuggled phones in anyway. But that was individual children breaking the rules, not the teacher's fault.

My dp dd walked out of a lesson recently and text her to let her know and after my dp couldn't persuade her to go back in she contacted the school to let her know where her dd was so they could sort it out. Dd got her phone confiscated until end of day as they can't have phoned out in school even if it is to contact a parent.

Ds used his phone in a lot of lessons with permission. It's taken away if used without permission. It works well.

Imagine having to go to work and have to listen to the latest drama, while trying to work.
I did say to the deputy head that they should not be allowed his reply was that this is "my opinion".
Just another teacher who sees it as their role to override parents and students wishes.

Phones are a useful tool if used properly. Many schools use on line planners, phones have scientific calculators, stop watches, internet research etc My kids log on to the school WiFi which has child safe filter on and IT could monitor what they had been doing in case of serious incidents. My daughter often takes a picture of the homework from the whiteboard, with the teachers permission off cause. She has an £80 windows phone which I can monitor as well, never been bullied for her phone

viridus

You seem to be complaining about a specific teacher who has difficulties with managing classroom behaviour.

now, just like with any profession, there will be some who are not at the expected standard. But I don't think it's right to extrapolate a general schools problem from the misfortune to have come across one weak teacher.

Have you spoken maybe to HOY about this teacher's classroom management? For that is likely to be vastly more productive of improve,net than railing against mobile phones (which are not invariably problematic)

Are you still at school or have you recently left, OP?

My DDs school is very very strict. Phones must be in bags at all times and off or on silent. Even at
Lunch time. If seen they are confiscated and collected at the end of the day. If this happens a second time a detention is given and the phone has to be collect by a parent. A third offence and the phone is given back at the end of the half term. The rules are clear and they they stick to them rigidly meaning that the great majority stick to it.

I think a lot of schools allow phones because of the parents wishes.

The rules are clear and they they stick to them rigidly meaning that the great majority stick to it

Rules need to be adhered to. Policies need to be in place to ensure that they are followed. If a school can't follow through on such policies, then what's the point in having them?

There must be a technical way to jam all mobile phones within a school, that would solve part of the problem if kids can't call/text or access internet during school hours .

There are enough of landlines in a school for parents to be able to contact their kids in case of emergencies.

Scooby- why do you think that?

It is 2016, mobile phones are the norm, saying what did we do without them is not helpful, move on! Kids need phones for a variety of reasons, mine (and many others) travel on buses and trains and they need them for safety. They are often asked to use them for research at school, what an amazing way to access information quickly! It is up to the teacher to monitor their use and confiscate accordingly if being used without permission in class. Saying they should be banned is just a too simplistic approach.

Banning mobile phones from schools would be a great idea but impossible to police. Teachers could confiscate phones but would have to give them back to the parents, parents who don't see a problem with their child having a phone in school and will probably give it back to their child.

My DDs school manages it. The rule is no phones in school grounds at any time. Kids can bring phones so they can be contactable whilst travelling but they have to put them away switched off in bags at the gates. If you are caught with your phone it goes to the office and you get detention. The first time I believe the child can collect after the detention but if it happens again a parent has to collect it.

These rules are told to all parents at the open day and the welcome assemblies. If you don't like them pick a different school.

Jeez, just when you think you've read the BIGGEST pile of shite, along comes an even BIGGER one!

Our school introduced a no phones policy recently . We thought there would be big problems implementing it but we were prepared to be consistent as we were so fed up with the issues, cyber bullying etc and the occasional educational use didn't outweigh these. It has been a big success, and we've had very little kickback. If phones are seen or heard they are confiscated and parents have to collect them. This means inconvenience for dcs. We made it clear that if parents were worried their dcs would be without their phone on way to and from school the safest thing to do was hand it in at reception. But most don't bother and just keep them off at bottom of bags. Amazingly dcs now talk to each other at break times!!!!

Handing in phones at Reception for 1,000+ kids isn't a practical solution. There are two ways to go about it/ one, just say no phones full stop; two, phones allowed in bags but not to be seen or heard. I don't see why schools don't all just do one of those two things.

Dc's school is sensible about phones. They're allowed them as long as they don't have them inside without permission.
It actually works better than the school that has a blanket ban (and confiscates until July) because if there's an issue they deal with it rather than just saying "can't possibly be anything to do with us as we don't allow mobiles in school" (so the death threat texted during school hours by a known bully just managed to send itself and just by a fluke found the victim's phone)
My dc have not got particularly good phones. They've never had any comments about it. Not every child has one either.
But they're very useful when back late from a school trip or the afterschool club is cancelled.

yummumto3girls

Being in 2016 doesn't prevent teaching your kids basic manners and not to use their phones at all at school. Do you realise that showing off a mobile phone outside the school puts your kids in danger of being robbed. Frankly, when you are being mugged or assaulted, it's difficult to find time to call 999

Witchend: But surely if phones were banned there would be no death threat in school hours? There is a hell of a lot of time wasted on issues that have nothing to do with education in schools. Remove the phones and you remove half the issue.

yummumto3girls: "It's 2016" is such a ridiculous argument. Does that mean they should be bringing X boxes to school? Your child does not need a phone out in school and saying it is for the teacher to monitor inappropriate use of phones is just accepting that a significant amount of your kids' learning time will be wasted while their teacher does just that.