Mobile phones in nursery schools?

[ilikebighugsandicannotlie]

I attend an appointment in a children's centre once a week. While I am waiting I got told off for using my mobile phone. I was in the reception/waiting area, not the nursery etc and in full view of an office of staff.

They told me it's a safeguarding requirement.

Fair enough. I kind of get that after the incident a few years back in a teddies(?) nursery it sounds a plausible thing to have been introduced

But then I walk to collect my child from their own nursery. Teachers have mobiles they use often.

So it can't be a standard safeguarding requirement can it?

Tbh it felt like absolute overkill. All I could have taken photos of in that area is either a member of staff or posters on the wall and I was quite clearly just playing solitaire or texting not chatting away loudly distracting anyone.

Seems bizarre the complete contrast between the two for one to be a "safeguarding" requirement you can't even use your phone in a reception area with no children about in full view of lots of staff to another nursery allowing devices to be on teachers in classroom and even when parents go in for storytime you can take photos of your kid on your phone in the class, parents evening you can take photos of your kids work etc with them stood by it in the hall where it's displayed

I think your child’s nursery is the lax one here. Last time I asked to take a photo of my child’s work it was taken off the wall and I could take a photo in the office and that was it. No photos of kids, including your own allowed in nursery!

Quite possibly it is the lax one. I would assume if it was a safeguarding issue it would be a universal requirement of all nursery schools?

I think it is, I just think they’re not sticking to it and it will come back to bite them at some point.

Surestarts are very over the top re mobile phones. Other nursery’s use common sense approaches like no photos of children.

The statutory guidance that covers all of early years settings in England (including reception year at school) says in section 3.4 " The safeguarding policy and procedures must include an explanation of the action to be taken when there are safeguarding concerns about a child and in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff, and cover the use of mobile phones and cameras in the setting."

So every setting must have a policy, it is generally accepted that that the safest policy and as such best practice is usually for there to be no use of mobiles on site but this isn't mandated, only for there to be a policy which is followed.

Teachers quite often have school issued phones. They’re the ones you see in the classroom.

It really did seem over the top tbh. There were no children, I'm in full view of many members of staff and cctv, sat waiting for an appointment and got told off for using my phone which was face down so I'd have taken a photo of my knee or ceiling in a reception area. I mean I could walk outside and take photos through the school railings of plenty of kids in the playground if I wanted to without anyone knowing as it looks onto a public road with a bus stop right outside I presume they don't police for phone use but reception waiting area is a no no.

On the other hand the opposite end of the spectrum another one I use is probably too lax

"safeguarding" is just a catch all word for "do as we say no matter if it makes sense, and if we call it safeguarding no-one is allowed to argue about it at all"

Well the obvious thing is that they will have been background checked (the teachers) you haven't...

I think anyone that has to write and review policies will understand the difficulty in getting it right - one person's common sense is another person's loophole. It's very hard to get right all the time.

@OddBoots it must be very hard if the irony that children play in full sight of a public road and bus stop outside is lost on their policing in the waiting area. I'd completely understand all other areas of their site once you go through the locked with a code doors the enforcement of such a policy. Bananas that one though

Yanbu I really do not see why common sense cannot prevail in some of these situations

I don’t know the statutory requirements but I suspect nurseries have to make and enforce their own policies. I know my dd’s nursery did not allow mobile phones. Staff had to leave them in their cars and parents couldn’t use them on site (in building or gardens). Staff took photos on an iPad and these were provided to parents who wished to see them at things like sports day and the nativity play. Fine by me, there’s no need to use your phone in that situation unless you’re like a surgeon on call or something (and even so it’s only for a couple minutes). I’d rather they take safeguarding seriously.

But should add I hear you that their policy sounds a bit lopsided. It makes sense to be all mobiles, but I suppose the difference is perhaps you were in a public reception area and could have been anyone. But they probably need to make the policy a bit more explicit.

I would assume they were nursery issued phones for taking notes and photos. Our nursery uses ipads.

My ds’s nursery takes photos on nursery owned iPads but staff aren’t allowed their personal phones which makes sense. I did a few Children’s centre classes with DS when I was off on maternity leave and they were very officious about phones too. They said their policy was no phones at all both for safeguarding reasons and to encourage interaction with your baby rather than constant phone usage which to be fair is no bad thing - I’m sure we’re all guilty of using them too much around our children. Bit of common sense should prevail though about use in a waiting room with no children around.

To be fair I expect my sons one is nursery issued with the staff use. That makes sense.

Barmy the overkill in the other place though. It's not an entrance children or parents use.

Nope it’s normal, when I worked in nursery years ago our phones were to stay in lockers l. We weren’t allowed them past the security door.

I know a nursery that got a shot ofsted because they didn't have a policy banning camera phones from around the kids. Redid the policy asked ofsted back, got outstanding

Shit not shot

@UnicornRainbowColours I could completely understand past the locked doors. I wasn't past locked doors.

I went to interview at a nursery and had to hand my phone in to be put in a plastic tub. But others, there has been no problem. It is very dependent on the individual nursery but I don't see a problem with them doing this. They are covering themselves as well as safeguarding the children.

I worked in a nursery where there was an experienced woman who came to cover who was walking around in the playground looking at her phone. It is very necessary in some situations to not be allowed phones.