Bristol schools with NO PHONES policy

[MessyFlipflop]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has researched this? I noticed Redland Green has a strict policy on phones - confiscated if seen out of bag - just wondering if you know if any other schools who have similar policies?

I think they all have that policy to be honest.

Yup same at ours.

So far most of the secondary schools that I've asked say kids are allowed mobiles at school - they aren't encouraged to use them during break time/ lunch but its not actively monitored and at times they also use them during class. I thought Redland Green was quite unique in terms of total ban during school hours. Which schools do your kids go to?

But it's not a total ban at Redlands green is it, they just have to keep them in their bags. Which is same as all other schools that I am aware of, I have friends who are teachers at lots of different Bristol schools and they confiscate any phone taken out in school. Break times are presumably harder to police.

Also kids will find ways of using phones even if they are banned, eg in the toilets or areas of the school grounds less frequented by teachers. The only way to stop your child from using a phone in school is not to give them a phone.

Why is the phone issue so important to you, and are you in the catchment area for a place at Redland green?

I think "phones out of sight /silent/switched off" during the school day is really quite standard in secondaries in Bristol and elsewhere. Really staff don't want the bother of confiscating phones continually.

Thanks for your replies, I appreciate it. I don't even live in the UK let alone being in a catchment area yet! We live in Sydney but are moving to Bristol and so just doing my research! Have no idea where we will live or which school we will send our kids to yet. My kids don't have phones (they are still at primary) but because of the starting school age and term dates my eldest son will be going straight from year 5 in Australia to half way through year 7. I'm just interested because mobiles are allowed in most state school's here and from everything I've heard its nothing but trouble!!

In practice most secondary schools in Bristol will allow pupils to have phones in school, but would have sanctions if pupils used them inappropriately e.g. in lessons.
I suspect that what is meant by confiscation is that the teacher removes the phone and the pupil has to collect it at the end of the lesson.
The only difference is that some schools put this sort of info in different places e.g. the school website, school handbook etc.

I don't think this is an issue worth worrying about when you are choosing schools. Most schools will clamp down on use of phones during class, no matter what their website says, but official policies can change at any time.

I would not want to send my DCs to a school where phones were totally banned, as there are times when plans change at short notice (e.g. after school clubs and sports matches) so it is useful for them to be able to contact me or vice versa (though obviously not during lessons). This is even more the case if you live far from school and have to pick up by car or DCs have to use public transport or school buses, which can have break downs or delays.

The schools I've used allow use of phones during break times and at the end of the school day, but not in class.

Hi Again, thanks exexpat I didn't think of that and that's a very good point - also I guess living in the city and being at high school, there will be a lot of things that will be different and I'm starting to imagine scenarios where a mobile might be very useful. A couple of my friends with kids at the local high school here are frustrated that many of the kids (esp boys) are playing games on their mobile phones all of lunchtime instead of running around, there have also been cases of totally hideous footage taken at school in the playground circulating on facebook etc. But really glad to hear that UK schools seem to have better policies in place...

There are still plenty of cases of hideous footage being circulated I wouldn't naively think that a mobile ban at school stops any of that. They can still message eachother out of school and sexting is an issue in uk for teens,as I am sure it is in Sydney. I wouldn't bother about making mobile phones a criteria in which school you should choose.