Are teachers allowed to use mobile phones in class?

[hulahoopsilove]

Ds just said the teacher yr4 got her mobile out and was taking pictures of his work...artwork.

I thought mobiles were banned surely to safe guard children.

Some schools use mobile phones/ipods as quick and easy to use cameras for classroom use.

Check with the school if worried I am sure they will have a policy.

No mobiles are not banned in class in my school. I use mine frequently to take pictures of children's work. How would not doing this mean children were safer?

All our teachers have iPads for taking pictures in the classroom.

Wouldn't you like to see a nice pic of your son's artwork? Sounds like she was doing a nice thing. Most schools have a limited number of cameras and she was probably just seizing the moment. I should imagine she just wants to print it to put on a display board or in your son's book - not to post it on her Facebook page!

Yep I use mine all the time especially if we've lost our camera to another class I'd only take pics of work, not kids though.

I also use it as a reward if someone has been really good they can play a game on it in choosing time.

In my school we can use mobiles to take photos, although we do have school cameras to do the same.

No doubt they will soon be banned , sigh!

I.think after the awful,.awful happenings at the Nottinghamshire nursery a fee years back I would of thought mobiles would of been banned.

I've asked more and she is always texting and talking calls.

Banned?! Um, I'm a grown up....

Texting and taking calls during lesson time is almosty certainly against school policy.

Using mobile phones as a camera is often allowed as long as the images are put onto the school system asap and deleted from the privately owned device. She should not be retaining the pics on her camera.

'She should not be retaining the pics on her camera'.

Not if they are pics of pupils, but if they are pics of the children's work, as in this case, why not?
You sound like you are on a bit of a witch hunt OP, tbh. The Nottinghamshire nursery situation is not even remotely comparable.

Ds2's teacher texts me ds2's blood glucose levels if they are out of range, or phones for advice on how to treat a high level. Lot quicker & easier than going to the office to phone me.

MissMillament - yes, of course you are right. Pictures of work (and no children) are generally not a problem.

Hulahoops. Maybe you could focus on the fact your son obviously did a good job on his artwork rather than quizzing him for ways to catch out his poor teacher.

We're not allowed mobiles in our classrooms, which I completely agree with. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where a parent or child accused me of using a mobile inappropriately (e.g. texting in lesson time).

Plus it's too much of a theft risk, unless you have it on your person the whole time. Just easier not to have them around.

Good grief, I go ballistic when a pencil disappears, heavens knows what would happen if someone stole my phone!!

I am obsessive about pencils and pens in my classroom. I count them...

I do this all the time (kids' work).

I used to have a posho flexi camera attached to my whiteboard, but it blew up & there's no money in the pot to replace it.

Calls/texting etc are against school policy though. & definitely not allowed to take photos of kids as opposed to their work.

We are not - its in our school policies. They have to be kept turned off and ideally locked away. They can be in the classroom but off and out of reach/sight, ideally in a locked cupboard.

However - this only changed a year ago in response to an incident elsewhere - and not one where a child was actually affected in any way.

Before that we could make use of apps, camera etc as part of school work, etc.

Not all schools bar them though - in some there are used activiey. there are even special apps for recording evidence linked to EYFS and KS1 for example. We are trialling these on iPads now though.

And in secondary I know that in DD's school although technically they should be off and out of sight, even for children, in some lessons they are encouraged to used them for different educational purposes.

TBH for safeguading I am ntot convinced it is areally a major issue though. If someone really was that way included there would be ways and means, equally as accessible. Most classrooms have class cameras and video recorders for example - and teachers take their school laptops home, and memory sticks, etc.

And yes - all our classrooms have a staff iPad - and yes, they are allowed home too.

I used to use my phone to take pictures of kids' work but now we have iPads which is much more convenient. I'm using it now,in fact.
As for calls and texts - school are fine if you're waiting for an important phone call, for example, but clearly not for texting/chatting during lessons.

It may be a phone that is specially used for school pics.

The school I am in (not my DC school) use an iPad.

I have answered my phone in class (secondary). And talked on it when I have students there. It was my own children's school and one of my DC was taken ill. I'm at work, not school!
I take your point about child protection though and no, never use to take pics of kids. I do take pics of work, usually because it's brilliant.

I was just shocked that it was openly used not only for work but personal calls my Ds says texts beep through all the time

Senior school portrait lessons certainly used phones. Much easier than keeping still.