To be unhappy my child's phone was confiscated?

[Phoneproblems]

I have no issues with the phone itself being confiscated but apparently it is only to be returned on Friday - surely this cannot be right?

What was he taking photos of? In the toilets? Other kids?

I'm just wondering if they chose to keep the phone longer, depending on the 'crime'?

Because maybe, instead of instantly looking at it from a legal perspective, perhaps they want you to think about why the phone’s been confiscated for that unusual length of time.

I might be projecting, but IME it’s the sort of action schools take when other efforts have been tried and failed.

Maybe not, but might be worth thinking about.

At dd’s School the phone is confiscated until the last day of that half term or to be handed personally to the parent (School day meeting with head of year), whichever is the sooner. Reasoning being, most parents would be pretty put out at having to traipse into school to retrieve the confiscated phone. It works.

So Friday is quite soft.

At ds’s School each form room has a locker and at morning registration phones are placed in the locker, for retrieval at registration last thing.

Yes they can confiscate it. Check the behaviour policy.

Also, if they suspected activity contrary to the law or to the behaviour policy they can go through the electronic device and delete data or files or call the police.

Lots of government guidance on the www.gov.uk website.

Usual caveats of being reasonable and lawful etc.

Activity contrary to the law was taking pictures of each other on the field. Are you seriously saying my child was taking inappropriate photos and if so th e school need to tell me.

Phone out when it shouldn't be.
Messing about.
Taking photographs. A safeguarding issue.
Maybe this child isn't mature enough for a mobile.
The school are following their policy? Your child knew the consequences of messing with their phone?
So tough.
It doesn't matter who owns the phone or pays for it. It matters how your child behaves at school. Maybe start following the rules?!

How did people manage to walk home from school before mobiles were common place?

Maybe you should be supporting the school in making sure the rules are adhered to.

I assume they do it for a week so they won't heave to deal with it every day as you can just have it back from school and give it her again tomorrow

So is the problem that you think until Friday is too long for your kid to be without their phone, or you just want your phone back-and will be happy to keep it from your kid for the rest of the week?

At my DD's school, they have to hand in the phones each morning and they're given back for the journey home if the confiscation is longer than a day. The school keep record so they know the kids are handing it in, but the phone comes home each day and if they take public transport they have means of contact with parents.

Much more sensible IMO. I'd be unhappy about either of my children travelling home without a phone.

@Phoneproblems

No, where did you get that from? I was just adding some additional info for context. As you appear to know nothing on the subject.

At our school the rule is that pupils cannot take photos at any time unless allowed to by a teacher eg. Of notes on a blackboard.

Get the phone back if you feel but don't allow your child to use it until the end of the week or you are undermining the school rule.

If it is your phone (and on a contract it usually is) then go to school and get it if you must.

Support the school though and say that you will be keeping it from your child for a few days. Then do that.

Yes, legally they are under no obligation to return a confiscated item straight away. This adds impact and it discourages a repeat of the behaviour.

Tell the school you want it returned ASAP.

But my question is whether they can legally do it or not.

I pay for the phone, it is in my name and is my property.

The schools stance on this will be in their policies and procedures for use of mobile phones, which you will no doubt have agreed to when sending your child to that school.

I'd probably be more inclined to back the school up on this rather than moan about the fact they have adhered to one of their policies. Presumably you don't need the phone or you wouldn't have given it to your child, so I would expect my child to deal with the repercussions if it were me.

If I were you I'd be very glad that my child was at a school that maintains its rules strictly. You may not like them keeping it for 5 days but you'd like your daughter to be at an out of control school even less.
(And no, I'm not saying it's confiscate things for 5 days or out of control but rather that this school might have found a way of doing things that works. If they have, I'd support them if I were you because lots if schools haven't)

I think you are being to soft here, your daughter won't learn anything of you step in and give the phone back tonight.

I don’t think they’re in the wrong for enforcing their policy if this is the policy - I would support it either way but if the policy is set out in advance then I don’t think you can complain. If it’s not then you can go and get the phone back but I don’t think it’ll be a good lesson for your dd..

If it is your phone (and on a contract it usually is) then go to school and get it if you must

Well as the child isn't 18 presumably the contract phone is in the name of the OP but rather churlish to claim it's hers if it is exclusively used by DC

Off subject but I wish employers could do this! As a customer I would like the attention of the person serving me without having to wait between their phone use. Walked out a shop recently because a member of staff was texting whilst I was trying to ask him something about a product. I got one word disinterested answers and he went back behind the counter to text. I walked out because I couldn't be arsed to spend money somewhere where they let their staff do that.

It doesn't matter who owns the item.

Tell the school you want it returned ASAP.

Why? DS had his phone confiscated for a very similar reasons and my response was - tough. If you don't want it taken away, don't use it when you're not supposed to.

My daughter's high school have strict rules regarding mobile phone's, if they get caught with them they get confiscated and parents have to book an appointment to go and get them back. If they really do need them to do with travelling etc.. they are expected to drop them off at the school office and collect them at the end of the day. The school banned them, partly because they found students were just walking around the school constantly looking at their phones and not really interacting with each other and partly because a girl (not knowingly) was logged onto snapchat (I think) and had leant on her phone in the changing rooms, meaning the girls were filmed getting changed and it went online.

I've told my daughter, who doesn't have any reason to have her phone, if she takes her phone to school and gets caught I'm leaving it there for at least a week.

I really don't get the attitude that parents almost treat school as the 'enemy'. Back them up FFS.