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?

I’d ban all phones except a basic brick for texts and messages.

But how would they take their selfies?

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.

Not knowingly

Pull the other one, it’s got bells on.

Accidentally logged onto to social media and accidentally leaned on the phone and the phone was in the right position to film and it accidentally went online. Seriously??

That’s one hell of a way to minimise a serious bullying and safeguarding incident. I’ve heard some crazy lies in my time but that is a good one.

The fact is a number of them didn't but might have done if they'd had a mobile in their possession that would have allowed them to call 999.

I think you could probably make a case that for many kids, carrying a £400+ phone makes them more of a target for the much more common crime of mugging, but to put that aside for a moment - 11 year olds do not need a smartphone to call 999 or to send an SMS.

I can accept that we now live in a world where y7 kids need a mobile phone. I don’t accept that that necessarily needs to be a smartphone.

Why has every body got to act like little drones on here?

What a strange thing to say. I happen to agree that children shouldn't get their phones out in school and that it is entirely appropriate to confiscate them if they flout the rules. No idea how or why that would make me a drone....

until your child learns to do as it is told, buy it a text and talk job with no camera. Much lighter and needs charging monthly not daily.

You have to work with the school on this. You are undermining their rules.

peng I imagine the next step would be providing the police with a good laugh when you call to report the nasty teacher stealing from poor dc.

Then a lengthy thread asking for advice on escalating a complaint when the head, governors and local authority have all laughed at you.

Then maybe a few years later a self pitying thread about bad, out of control dc who now isn't following your rules at home.

You should support the school. It’s parents like you who make it very difficult for teachers to implement rules and discipline.

Agree with the majority. Support the school. Lesson learned for your DC.

Think I must have missed something here? I thought the OP was essentially asking if school are allowed to retain her property for a week (and yes it is her property as she pays the bills and it will be in her name). The short answer to that is no. School policy doesn’t override basic legal rights.

If the OP wants to go to the school and get her phone back it’s entirely up to her. Not sure why some people on here feel that because the OP may chose to parent differently to them it must mean she’s wrong and they’re right! Oh...to be that perfect parent

(When I was at school, back when God was nobbut a lad, we had to wait until the end of the half-term to get back any confiscated items)

I don’t think you are being unreasonable to expect that your child’s phone be returned to them at the end of the school day. I have no problem with phones being confiscated during the school day if they are being used irresponsibly or in lesson time, but to keep it for 5 days is ridiculous. I want my kids to have access to their phones when they are traveling to and from school in case they get into trouble or if I need to contact them for any reason. I think it’s irresponsible for teachers to take kids phones outside school hours. I would have gone up to the school and insisted that the phone be returned immediately. I don’t think they have any right to keep it.

Schools have the legal right to do all sorts of things, Dorset

What about teachers?. Is there any policy for them about using phones in class. I have one in primary and one in Y11 and both my two say the teachers are on their phones a lot. Not taking pictures of work, but taking calls as well.

My 16 year old said one particular teacher is always on his phone.

I normally critical of stupid rules, but I don't think this is a stupid rule or penalty, OP.

I was lucky where I maybe had more choice of schools, but anytime I entrusted my child to a person or institution it was because I trusted them to do right by her, which included fair punishments. The day I lost that trust would have been the day I changed her school.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/searching-screening-and-confiscation

Here you go. To answer the question, yes, schools do have the right to confiscate items and can keep them for a reasonable amount of time. Confiscation is not theft.

I can only assume that anyone who doesn’t see the problem with kids using phones during the school day has never had to deal with the repercussions of mobile phones in schools. I’ve been spent hundreds of hours dealing with issues from arguements between kids to major safeguarding concerns.

The school has its reasons. Taking pictures of people without their consent is a crime. Do the school ab the child a favour - don’t undermine them. If it was my child - I’d be ringing and saying keep it until July. Rules are rules.

Teachers using phones during lesson time should be reported. It may be there is a particular reason (close family in hospital etc) but mostly I wouldn’t expect it to be permitted.

Noblegiraffe. Of course they do, that wasn’t what I said.

Schools don’t have the right however to override legal rights because they write it into a policy, They can have that policy and confiscate a phone if it’s being used in breach of the policy but if the parent requests it back the school does not have the right to refuse.

Whether we agree with that or not isn’t the issue...the item legally belongs to the person requesting it back.

I don't see what the problem is really. My two had phones from yr7 mainly because they travel a distance to school and it's nice to have contact especially when it's all new to you. But they were told that if they had them confiscated I would not be collecting it from the office. They are yr 12 & 13 now and have never had a phone confiscated.

School rules are school rules. The children have a choice, keep them, flout them, or find ways round them but if you get caught don't come crying to me.

You should support the school, however if your concerned about them keeping the phone maybe you can go in and collect it. I will still not give it back to your ds til the end of the week.

@kyrenialady

I would raise it with the school. There may be some genuine reason (a close relative in hospital or something) but aside from things like that teachers shouldn't be using their phones during class time and it almost certainly will be part of their policy for staff. I am a teacher btw.

But on a slightly different note, I would say more generally school rules are for the kids and not for teachers. We also don't wear uniforms or have to line up with 100+ pupils to get lunch. 'But the teachers don't have to do XYZ' is common complaint from the kids but it's not a particularly relevant argument. We are adults at work. You are a child at school. Of course the rules will be different.

What's the policy on phones? If it says phone back at end of x y or z, and you've not questioned it then that's that. By messing about what kind of messing about?

Schools don’t have the right however to override legal rights because they write it into a policy, They can have that policy and confiscate a phone if it’s being used in breach of the policy but if the parent requests it back the school does not have the right to refuse.

Yes, it does. Look at the legislation.

Thought as much that teachers shouldn’t be using phones. Of course children should be treated differently to teachers but the no phones policy should be adhered by all.

Both of the schools my children go to are very relaxed on phone usage. They are alllowed on their phones at break and lunch which I don’t agree with.