To think school need an actual policy on mobile phones

[justcuriousaboutmobiles]

Name changed for this but I'm a long time member, cube of pop, cutted up pear...

Yesterday our school sent a message out saying they have seen an increase in year 6 brining mobile phones into school, they have been handing them in to their teacher who's been locking them in a drawer until home time. The school have said they would like to remind us that mobiles are not permitted in school and from now on not to bring them in.
Now firstly I've never seen anything to say mobiles aren't permitted I'd personally assumed they weren't but DS doesn't walk to school as we are to far away so not thought of sending one in.
Parents are now unhappy as it sounds like the majority of them take phones for emergency use on the way to or from school.
I know we all lived without them when we were kids but it's a different time, I think if DS was walking I'd feel more comfortable if he could contact me.
So my AIBU is that if this is school policy it should be documented somewhere but also I'm thinking it's maybe not the best policy, I know teachers can't be held responsible for looking after what could be 30 phones but what's the alternative. I've got splinters in my bum over this one...

Before anyone says it yes I should keep my beak out as it doesn't effect me but it's interested me

@Zzelda

Is it really unimaginable that a child that makes there own way to school needs a phone?

At the risk of sounding really aged, children managed for, literally, centuries to get themselves to and from school without mobile phones, and indeed without any phones at all.

The world is different now. More people, more cars, few or no phone boxes, fewer community links (i.e people don't necessarily know who your kid is as they might in the past). I'm sure there are arguments for everyone relying on their phones less but it's weird that we only expect kids to be the ones who do it.

It'll be covered by a policy about not bringing in personal items of high value, electronic items, any form of digital recording device, camera etc. They probably ought to specify phones too. But unless the phone does none of those things anyway it shouldn't need saying.

@Zzelda

Is it really unimaginable that a child that makes there own way to school needs a phone?

At the risk of sounding really aged, children managed for, literally, centuries to get themselves to and from school without mobile phones, and indeed without any phones at all.

Times and expectations have changed though.

My DC never needed their phone in an emergency whilst in primary school (though it was handy when DS crashed his bike and it was mangled beyond riding that he could ring and tell me rather than walk home and tell me). They are useful for the DC to phone and tell you things like they are going to hang out in the park after school so will be late home, or ask if they can go to Joe's house. Yes, these things can be organised without a mobile phone (you have a standing arrangement that late home=have stayed in park; Joe's mum rings to tell you instead) but it adds an extra layer of immediate communication. These days we expect to be in touch constantly. If I vanished for 2 hours after school when I was 9 my parents wouldn't worry, but parents these days would.

Policy should be small phones only - the ones that allow text and talk and that's it. No camera either. Still need to be off and handed in during the day. Only need charging once a fortnight, cost buttons and survive being dropped. Around a tenner on eBay , the one plus of the drug trade is that these are still available rather than having to lug a smart brick around.

I would contact the school and explain that parents now choose to allow their child to walk to school with a phone as it promotes independence, reduces the carbon footprint by not using a vehicle, and gives both the child and the parents a sense of safety - (even though they are not necessarily any safer just because they have a phone). Ask them to consider a system whereby phones are handed over upon entry to class, kept in a locked drawer then returned at home time.
That’s the system we have in the school I teach in. It works well and doesn’t alienate the parents!!
In a nutshell, approach them with a solution not a complaint.

It'll either be in their e-saefty policy or their it usage policy or maybe even their health and safety policy.
If in doubt email school secretary and ask nicely for copy of relevant policy.
No kid needs a phone during school hours.

@luciles

*I think that it sounds like they've always had that policy (just like you thought) but that people haven't been adhering to the policy. I wasn't having a go, I'm genuinely curious why a 10 year old NEEDS a mobile phone to walk to/from school. I can't really think of a situation where it would be needed - if something really bad happened then I'd expect them to find an adult immediately, not phone and wait for a parent. If it's not that bad then it can wait until they get home. Given the risks and dangers of mobile phones (being stolen, getting broken, going missing, bullying, etc etc), I just don't understand the risk.** * You seriously can't understand why a child wouldn't need a phone when walking by themselves? What if a strange person approaches them and there is no adult there? It's a safety precaution.

How would a phone help if they're approached by a stranger?

Well yes, the school does need a policy. My kids school doesn't have a policy either. But I would imagine that it is because it is a primary school!!
My son is shortly to be in year 6 and absolutely will not be having a phone. Some girls in the class have an there's been no end of trouble, bulling, arguing etc. The boys luckily don't feel the need to have one as early.
I am shocked tho that they are taking them into school at all!!! The teachers should not have to be dealing with this with kids who are so young imo

@Keepsmiling1

The problem is the expensive phones that that children bring in. You can have thousands of pounds worth of phones in your top drawer. What happens if one gets stolen? Or one gets broken as they're being put in the drawer? Who is responsible? Children in Y6 in our school are allowed to bring in a cheap brick type phone if they need it for walking to/from school. I think that's fair as they are still able to contact parents if needed.

The amount of children bringing a phone has drastically reduced as most of them just wanted to show off their phone to their friends rather than actually needing one!

Schools should make it clear that they take no responsibility for mobile phones brought into school, parents' home insurance should cover them.

@Zzelda

Is it really unimaginable that a child that makes there own way to school needs a phone?

At the risk of sounding really aged, children managed for, literally, centuries to get themselves to and from school without mobile phones, and indeed without any phones at all.

Yeah, I always wonder, do people not remember this?

That being said, in many schools they will collect the phones, I think that's reasonable.

I wish my kids school would, the kids are distracted and it's obvious some are affected very negatively.

Our year 6 are allowed mobiles phone which are handed in each morning and collected each evening. The majority of children with mobile phones are the ones who walk home without a parent. Our previous school had the same policy for year 6 children. It’s part of the getting ready for secondary school stage.

I work in a private school where year 7 nearly all have iphones. They go into a little padded bag in a crate at morning registration, are stored in an office during the day and handed back at the end of the day. It takes a significant amount of storage space and some admin time. But these are expensive bits of kit and sadly, 'lock them in a drawer' no longer suffices.

Whether they are really needed is another question entirely, but the genie is out of the bottle on that one. We (staff) need them to get into the computer system. We're hardly role modelling that they're unnecessary!

I am pleased to read of a school that has such a policy. I wish all schools did.

I think the school has been too kind to say 'remind', should have been more direct. The only comment I think you should make to the school is perhaps out of consideration to parents to make it very clear at the start of the school year in September, especially to new and prospective parents.

I agree with the school. If children can’t walk home without a phone then parents need to collect.

Our primary schools policy is off in the bottom of their bags for year 6, younger ones who have seperated parents are allowed to bring a mobile phone to school on the day/days they switch homes, turned off and handed to the class teacher in the morning. Children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 are not allowed a phone at all even with seperated parents and children in those years caught with one will have it confiscated the first time and handed back to the parent at the end of the day, any time after that a meeting will be called with the parent/s to discuss it and handed back at the heads discretion.

I don't see how they can be useful for contact anyway. Nobody would call a primary child in an emergency when they were in school. A phone call in class would be inappropriate and a call to the secretary to get your child if necessary would be better.

@ceilingsand

I don't see how they can be useful for contact anyway. Nobody would call a primary child in an emergency when they were in school. A phone call in class would be inappropriate and a call to the secretary to get your child if necessary would be better.

They are useful if the child walks home alone and the parent needs to contact them because they are running late. My year 6 walks home alone and has a mobile on him for this very reason. I could get caught in traffic and he could return to a empty house and not know where I am.

They are useful if the child walks home alone and the parent needs to contact them because they are running late. My year 6 walks home alone and has a mobile on him for this very reason. I could get caught in traffic and he could return to a empty house and not know where I am.

That happened occasionally when I was a kid. I just assumed that my mother was running late and/or had stopped off for some shopping. If necessary, I could have phoned her once I got home.

I think taking phones off pupils until the end of the the day is fine and all schools should do it

@Zzelda

They are useful if the child walks home alone and the parent needs to contact them because they are running late. My year 6 walks home alone and has a mobile on him for this very reason. I could get caught in traffic and he could return to a empty house and not know where I am.

That happened occasionally when I was a kid. I just assumed that my mother was running late and/or had stopped off for some shopping. If necessary, I could have phoned her once I got home.

The child also may want to contact a parent if there is a problem on the way home.

Also not many people have house phones these days. We don’t.