To feel relieved the school has now completely banned phones

[Eastie77Returns]

DD’s school has completely banned phones for all incoming Y7 pupils and this will last for the entirety of their time at the school going toward. Existing pupils are still allowed to bring phones in but have to keep to the old rule (if they are seen or heard they are confiscated for 20 days).

DD is Y9 so she will be able to follow the old rule but DS, who starts secondary next year, will not be able to take one in. I honestly feel a massive sense of relief. He doesn’t have a phone at the moment and I was planning to get him an old style Nokia as he isn’t bothered about tech or latest phones. However I was a bit worried that he’d feel left if all his friends had iPhones etc. The school seems pretty serious about it all, all pupils and parents have to sign an agreement and any child caught with a phone will be excluded - no questions asked. The mother of DS’ best friend has now decided she will not send her DS to the school as originally planned as she thinks the ban is reckless and dangerous?! AIBU to think the ban is fine and makes complete sense plus millions of children managed to get to and from school safely without phones a generation ago!

You are assuming there is a next train or bus

The campaigning organisations do not want brick phones banned, because parents do want means to contact.

Well you’re incorrect, there will be a number of exceptions to “no phones”.

Oh I see. You assume there's always another train or another bus.

The next bus is the next day.

Would you leave yours overnight?

Yes that poster is living on another planet where it's only ever a short wait and no impact on work or after school activities.

I'd hate that. I agree that they shouldn't be allowed on in class but I think if the want to police it the form tutor should have a locker to store them in from registration and add in session to give them back at the end of the day (like on jury service). How will children contact parents if the buses are cancelled or there is an emergency, or even if they want to stay on at the library after school to work on something in particular? It was all very well back in the 90s when there were payphones readily available, but they don't exist any more!

@Eastie77Returns it wouldn't surprise me if they ban smart phones for under 15s at some point in the future.

I work at a school where smart phones are banned. It is SO much better. Lots of the Y7s are no longer being bought smart phones any more and instead are getting brick phones, so they can call/text their mates but not have internet/social media access.

We will be doing the same with our Y6 child as they've asked for a phone for their 11th birthday. They can use a brick phone to contact me if there's an issue with a school bus when they go to secondary.

Stagecoach near me is digital for termly or annual bus passes.

Call my mum from a payphone to let her know what was happening so she wasn't at home worried about where I was! Good luck with that these now!

I'm guessing all the "no need for any school child to have a phone" people haven't had a child that has been bullied? My DS ended up in CAMHS because of this and lets just say thank god he always had a phone on him! And thank god he's now left school and doesn't have to face anything as stupid as a complete ban.

@FirmSnake FirstBus for DS. Hopefully the screenshot will load showing that children can buy a 4 week pass on the app for £52.50. The maximum length ticket available to buy as a paper ticket onboard is one week for £17, so would work out at £68 for 4 weeks. So it would cost us an extra £15.50 per month if phones were banned on the school journey.

I’m a governor at a private school that has always banned phones, inasmuch that phones have to be put in a locker at the start of the day, and they can only have access to their phone during the day if they need to call a parent (although the school admin staff will offer to do this). So phones to and from school, fine, but not during the school day. The school gets outstanding results and has practically zero bullying. It’s also a very happy school.

This is exactly what should happen so kids can get on with their lives at the end of the school day.

Parents can choose what the right phone is for their kid - smart, brick, none.

I think it sounds great and hope more schools will begin to take this approach. DD is in year three and I'm hopeful by the time she gets to year 7 this sort of rule will be the norm

My child has been bullied in school and outside by phones. They shouldn't be anywhere near schools and as a parent I’d be quoting the new laws if a phone came anywhere near my child at school
or on the journey home.

Don't be silly. If you're old enough to have a teenager you're presumably old enough to have gone to school without a phone. We all coped fine, and grew up to be normal adults.

How many times does he really need to contact you? I don't remember ever calling my mum from the school office - you just went home.

Thanks for this. Appalling that they are allowed to do it in my opinion! The law ought to insist physical be avaliable for children.

How did his phone help?

There is always something. Most of us working parents are in work some without access to a phone anyway, often long distances from where our children go to school so most kids will need to wait anyway and will be probably be better served by using their initiative and thinking of a solution ie travelling to the next station, walking to a bus stop or waiting for the next train. It’s only hard if you make it hard and tell kids it is hard.

They’ve all still got them, they’re hidden in pockets and down waist bands. If you’ve got pouches they’re handing in old phones or having a burner

Mine have finished school but they were allowed them but not seen. Even at break and lunch.
I preferred that

Never mine the phones though. Can they ban vaping or small scale drugs....

I used to ring mine on way home and they never answered anyway. So the ban will suit some and not others juat as the exposure to vapes and other things will affect some but not all....

Life is very different

So why arent parents clamping down on this? Consequences for rule breaking? Why do they have burners?

My DS has just started y7. They have pouches that they have to lock them in at the start of the day then they unlock them at the end. It seems to work really well. So kids who need a phone for travelling to and from school can still use it for that. There is zero need for them to have a phone during the school day.

Although speaking of tracking, there is very little mobile reception at school so that doesn’t work too well. It doesn’t bother me but I imagine it’s made some parents have to unclench.

How would having a phone help with any of this?

Then they go back to the school and ask them for help. Someone will be around.

If the buses aren't running they'll have to walk. I expect the school could email parents if a lot of children are affected.

Honestly, what do people think we did before mobile phones? It's not like there was a payphone every 100 yards. You figured shit out yourself.