Boarding with least amount of screens and youtube

[ByRedTiger]

Which boarding schools have the least screen access? We keep talking about social media and phones but that doesn't include youtube. I basically need a boarding with zero accessibility to youtube during class times and monitored in the evenings at the least. Some kids have q real problem and I see doomsday coming quickly! Youtube has become the lazy teachers way to teach and often thr surface boards still allow kids to sneak off and click different sites during class.

Prep or senior?

Most senior schools that we have spoken to only allow phones for 45 minutes to an hour on weekday evenings in Year 9, though most allow more access after school ends on Saturdays and all day on Sundays, but they have to be handed in at night. Weekday access increases in Y10 and Y11, but they are not allowed to have phones with them during lessons until Y12.

Even then I know some schools require phones to be handed in at night, thought I don't think that is universal.

I don't think I know any boarding schools where they allow phones during classes (Dds doesn't) and as tache says most have strict time limits in the evenings which increases with year/age group and certainly taking the phones before lights out. It is a big incentive for a lot of parents to do flexi and ensure their kids get a night of talking to peers rather than being at home on screens.

Think there can be a lot of difference between 'policy' and what actually happens on ground level here. Different houses can have wildly varying approaches depending on house master's personal views/desire to curry favour with students

First two years at Winchester college boys are not allowed any devices.

It seems to get past the schools that kids can easily go onto youtube during class on their school devices while lecture is going on. This happens at a lot of day schools. My thoughts are there would be sanctions for boarders but I'm curious about the youtube. It's not just time it's also content exposure.

At my school, students have all got the same device for lessons, hence misuse can be discovered.
Sadly, although boarders hand their phones in at night, it is difficult to police those who have a second, usually dummy, phone.

i guarantee that this happens in all boarding schools.
the saddest thing is that some parents even buy their child a second phone to get around the system!

I think in most classes they would be spotted very quickly doing this. Remember class sizes are smaller in private schools and anyone not paying attention would be falling behind or distracting other pupils at the very least.

Did was in a small private where we are class size about 10-15. She was literally on youtube during the entire math class. I could see it since I have monitoring software. Then there was lunch time breaks etc. It was impossible and I believe started her addiction.

If you’re looking for specific boarding schools with very strict policies that are enforced and work then it’s probably quite a narrow pool and I’d probably start with Gordonstoun.

if you are meaning during the day in lessons I’d be flabbergasted if a top tier school with high fees is allowing unfettered access to YouTube during lessons.

for screen addiction issues id start with therapy / treatment rather than relying on school rules to try and fix the issue for her.

I think I know the kind of thing you mean. I’m just moving my daughter from a school that uses iPads for so much teaching. They have access to you tube on it and I’m sure they access it in some classes when they’re not supposed to. I see no need for this whatsoever and we are moving to a school where screens are used in balance.

This was par for the course at Winchester when DS was there. Particularly in Div lessons where the majority didn’t care less. It was common enough in many other subjects also.

That’s unbelievable. Are the teachers just not monitoring? What is the purpose of even having devices when u are lecturing?!

They sell a very different school to perspective parents but in reality there was very little monitoring. Homework, or Toytime as it’s known there was 2 hours unsupervised in front of your screen.

From this September Oundle school has a blanket ban on you tube 24/7. It’s blocked from the school network along with all social media sites) . Smart phones from gcse exam year upwards but very limited access (9pm until bedtime weekdays and weekends after matches) . Sixth form get more access. If you get caught then sanctions get progressively more serious.
email them and ask for a copy of their mobile phone and social media policy to get the full rundown their wait lists for places however are pretty much full and even closed for some year groups.

You should check the school policies. We have to (both dd and I) sign an agreement that I will not facilitate (as in buy a secondary device) and she will not use one or go on any banned sites. Each school has varying recourses for breaking this agreement but expulsion is there as an option for the school if the sites they are on are extreme, for example. No one wants their kid exposed to things just because someone else bought in an unregistered device.
I think every school has these policies in place so I would suggest it is worth checking yours and going through the Governers to complain with your proof, if you have exhausted the usual means.

You had monitoring software installed on your DD’s school device?

I remember DS telling me that some of the Y8s at his boarding prep could get onto YouTube on their school devices if they got up early - presumably restrictions kicked in at 7am or so. I think school cottoned on quite quickly though.

I have heard similar about various schools years ago but they usually have firmed up accesses as they have become more tech savvy. I am sure some kids flout the system but that is why they make you sign the contracts, to show you were cognisant of the rules prior to deliberately flouting them with intent.

Just that. It doesn’t matter how tight a school’s IT system is, children will find away around it.
All a school can do is keep updating their monitoring and safeguarding systems and put in effective consequences for children who are caught bypassing the systems.

I wonder how many parents know for certain that their DCs are not regularly using VPNs?

No the school allowed our devices. But they literally couldn’t do anything about it. On a visit to a boarding this summer I asked about YouTube. The matron stared at me blindly. So that’s a no to that school I guess!

Schools with a BYOD policy will be more limited in what they can control on a pupil device. They will not have admin rights and can only limit WiFi access, which kids will always work around or use VPNs.

Schools that have a loan device policy should be able to control what pupils access to a greater extent, but will not be infallible either.

My daughter's state boarding school has no blanket use of devices in class (everything is still paper based) and limited access in prep.

I don’t think vpns can be downloaded on school devices?

it’s insane we have to go through all this! It’s a pity. There was so much good content on YouTube. Now everything is trashed because of shorts.

My state boarding school is the opposite. The students all have the same device as part of the boarding fee, meaning we have excellent control over their use. Whilst we don’t want them used in lessons all the time, they are an excellent teaching resource. It’s all about balance of upswing the IT and not. When it is appropriate and when it is not.

I've heard Oundle is very good on controlling phones and laptops.

DD was at a day school where they use laptops all the time and she said it was a total time sink. Either laptops not working or boys gaming on them all the time. The teachers hate the laptops too.

She is moving to a paper and text book school for sixth form.

Apparently the Finnish / Swedes are now back to paper and pen at school..