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?

She might be a TA (gives TAs a bad name if so). Maybe she thinks the school shuts after she goes home.

Following the guidance from the act, confiscating a pupil’s phone overnight for a student who is older, lives locally and is not otherwise vulnerable is likely to be seen as more reasonable than a younger child, or one with special needs, whose phone may be an important safety item.

Just putting this out there from on of the linked summaries of the law. This reassures me that in fact teachers are required by law to consider the welfare of a child with a complicated journey or after school arrangements that depend on being contactable. Bit of common sense all round.

cat
That is about the vulnerability of the child, not whether home think their teen should have access to a mobile on the way home.

So vulnerable y7 student with SEND needs, dark evening and will be goibg home by public transport, probably not going to be a keep the phone. More likely will be confiscate, speak to senior staff, give it back at thr end of the day and call home

Average NT Y9 student who happens to have an extra curricular activity wouldn't be grounds for abandoning policy.

'But they need a phone on the way home for an emergency' becausr I have decided I want them to have oneisn't a get out of jail free card.

It's reassuring to me Maisie because the ONLY reason DC will be getting a phone in Y7 is the journey to school, so they can call if they get on the wrong bus or miss their stop and end up stranded somewhere stupid. Probably a smartphone for the child tracking ability. Yes they could ask someone for help but DS is stupidly shy and struggles to ask basic questions of his own teachers let alone strangers. It's a predictable failure mode that he wouldn't be brave enough to ask the office to call and let me know or anything either.

I seem to come down on the defensive on these threads all the time. Funny as I and my DC are very very law abiding. I guess I just remember the anxiety of knowing that one mistake on your part or a teacher's and they might decide to do something that totally screws up an already complicated week (and don't you dare query it if the teacher's made the mistake or you'll be in three times the trouble).

Its funny that Jazzy is a teacher, and makes the claims that she does, and conviniently her DB is a "very, very" senior Policman who doesn't seem to know the law.

101 things that never happened.

I've heard of vips but not vvips!

Honestly cat, if you give them a phone and they follow the rules (because you as a sensible parent have made it very clear that they must not get it confiscated) then it will never get taken from them.
Most students have phones.
Most students never have their phone confiscated (because they follow the rules and keep then turned off in their bags).

What I would say is that going up to secondary might be the push needed to help DC get past this shyness because the schools are so much bigger and students very quickly have to fend for themselves a bit more (it always makes me laugh when a y7 form ask me about the forms for a science trip for the busses and I'm like 'I'm your tutor not a science teacher. I literally have zero clue what you are on about'. That's because as tutors they view us as they do their primary teacher for a while. Eventually they learn who to go to for things and when to go to student services etc)

Oh I really hope so Maisy. Currently he won't even ask his primary teacher things so he has a long way to go.

Cat he really needs help with that before September. He will have lots of different teachers and rooms to find and deadlines. He will probably need to ask for help at some point.
Could the teacher help prepare him? It's such a big step.

Oh he's not Y6 wolfie, thanks, he's got time. But yes we're all trying to get him to ask for what he needs.

Fantastic. You have time then. They can grow up a lot in Y6 and have induction etc. hope the transition goes smoothly when it's time!

The school has an absolute right to confiscate property as long as it is in their policy.