In asking if your school allows kids to have phones in school?

[arganlady]

The school ds is about to start (and DH is a board member of) have had issues with kids taking naked pictures of themselves and showing them around.

DH is shocked there are phones allowed in the school at all. He's thinking of proposing a ban on phones in school.

I just wondered what other school's protocols on phones in school were?

My children are too young for phones but when I was at school we were permitted them under the understanding that they would not disrupt our studies (we could use them in class if we needed them for whatever reason but we couldn’t play on our phones and ignore the class, phones had to be on silent etc). It was never an issue.

Ours are allowed them but not allowed out in class. Dd has had to take pictures of homework pages on her phone before as there werent enough books for everyone to take home!

Secondary school - out of sight otherwise confiscated.

IME it's been parents who are more against a ban than their kids

And her phone is always on silent (and I can never get hold of her!)

She is secondary school

Primary on the walk to and from school. But handed in to teacher during the day.

No phones switched on in my school until after the end of school when students can message parents if they are doing an after school activity. Bullying and fighting has been greatly reduced, also parents 'storming' up to the school because the child 'who can do no wrong' has been chastised. Shame it had to come to this as calculators and cameras are very useful in a classroom.

Nope, completely banned on site. Those travelling a significant distance or with a medical or social reason can ask the head for permission to bring a phone for use to and from school but it is kept by the office staff during the school day.

DD’s school ban all phone usage on the premises but permits them to have them on their person or in their bags switched off. If a phone is heard or seen it is confiscated but they can switch them on as soon as they are out of school and at some after school activities.

Her school is doing great and I think the balance is working. Results are up and school is getting better all the time. Even kids say that now they’re used to it school is actually better.

Primary - phones turned off and handed into teacher at start of day. Returned to kids at the end of the day.

Secondary - phones allowed but must be on silent and in bags throughout the school day and while on school grounds. They are very strict with this and it works well. Even if dc has to phone me during the day for a cancelled after school match for example, they get sent to reception to make the phone call.

Primary not allowed at all. High school allowed but must be switched off all day and not seen. If seen will be confiscated for a week. DC doesn't take his in to school.

DD is allowed a phone in her school but only in breaks, not to be used or seen in lessons. I believe they amended the policy the year she started to only permit phones in non-lesson time.

I think that's a good compromise tbh.

I work in a school. Phones are to be switched off before entering school and given in immediately.They are given back just before the bell goes at the end of the day. It works for our school.

Secondary. Phones in lockers at start of day. Don't come out again until end of day. Messages to/from parents go through reception.

Secondary school. Can have phones on silent, not allowed out in class. If caught confiscated until Friday, even parents cannot get them back. . We, as parents, had to sign an agreement to this.
Everyone agreed to these rules.

Hi OP. I am a secondary teacher and have worked in 3 schools, all of them allowed phones at breaktime and lunch only. All three schools had policies which allowed teachers to confiscate phones if they were out in lessons. In reality one of the schools didn't enforce this effectively and two were very good at enforcing it. You can probably guess which school had the worst behaviour, lowest teacher retention rates and lower exam results.

I have recently seen research which suggests that teenagers' mental health is helped when mobile phones are completely banned at school (I.e. they can have them in their bags in case they need to make an emergency call but are not allowed to have them out and use them at any time during the school day) the reason teenagers benefit is because they have more person to person contact and less social media input into their lives. A local school near us have banned phones due to this research and other schools are considering it.

At my dd’s Independent secondary school they have to be put away in lockers for the whole day.

The primary school had a no phones policy and the secondary has a bit seen and not heard policy. Which I thought was pretty standard.

The arent enough lockers for all the pupils at dd/ds school so neither have one

Yes they do. Not allowed on during day or at least to be visible.
Lots of kids travel quite a lo g way so phones are essential really in case trains are cancelled etc (which they were a lot last year).

Phones have to be switched off and kept in lockers all day in my DC's school.

I'm a teacher. Kids are allowed them but are confiscated if seen during class time.

We are in the midst of a shit storm with one of the parents who's son has been suspended for his actions going absolutely ballistic and calling for the headmaster's head on a plate.

As she's also a board member (governor) this is obviously a HUGE issue.

DH feels that the culture of bullying and inappropriate pictures messages should not be happening on school grounds. (Obviously it shouldn't happen at all and there have been police in to talk to both the kids and parents.)

It sounds like more than a phone issue. Banning phones might make the behaviour more difficult but it will still happen if the cause isn't addressed

Hang on, what is her gripe?? Her son has been sharing indecent images, correct?

Phones handed into reception in the morning and collected after school. I cannot understand schools that allow them during the day.