Do year 7s use phones instead of playing at lunch?

[schoolphone]

DS has started secondary school and is enjoying all the lessons but really disappointed about play and lunch times. Apparently everyone just uses their phones to play games and there is no interaction at all and no one from year 7 runs around or kicks a ball or has any fun.

He loved break and lunch times at primary school but is with all new children at this school. DS really doesn't want to spend lunchtimes on his phone. The only 3 lunchtime clubs for year 7 are all on the same day so he still has 4 other days of the week to fill.

Is this normal for secondary schools now?

[eyebrowsonfleek]

Ds is in y11 and says that if he doesn't run around a bit at lunchtime, he feels angry/stressed during afternoon lessons. He is a fidgety / restless sort like his dad and brother.

[ABunchOfFuckingPidgeys]

Dd just gone into y7 and they have to have phones in bag switched off during the day, she says they dont run around during break, they'll stand/sit around chatting to each other but no playing tig etc like primary. She says she didn't do much chasing etc in y6 and that most of her friends sat chatting anyway so it's not a change for her.

She said some boys play in the football pitch at lunch but it tends to be the very good players and if there where somewhere the girls could mess about with a ball they would. Joining in with the boys they don't feel confident enough to do as they probably won't want them on their team as they can't play that well, and that her and her friends would be embarrassed at her boobs bouncing around when she runs. Some if the "banter" from the older boys is also off putting. The girls didn't chance to play with balls at lunch in primary for the same reasons, it was always the boys on the pitch and they'd turn "novice girls" away.

[Heifer]

DD gets 1.15 mins for lunch so thankfully has lots of lunch time activities - they HAVE to attend 2 per week. I think there are at least 10 for each year group every day to pick from so no excuse for not fancying something.

Saying that I have seen plenty of videos shot at break times/lunch times which DDs friends have posted on snapchat etc, so despite having a no phone during school ban - some are obviously ignoring that....

None of the girls "play" unless on an actual activity. They just chat. (girls school)

[Clickclickclick]

My ds's school don't even have play time or break times. Half hour for lunch, 15 mins for breakfast. They eat with their teachers and just go to class when they're finished. So no, they definitely don't get a chance to go on their phones. They have to stay in their lockers until home time.

[yeOldeTrout]

Gosh I hope DC school doesn't change.

Last week DS texted us to say he brought the wrong PE kit & asked us to bring right one in; we texted back to confirm the meeting time/place.

Kids have to keep phones out of sight & silent, but the teachers often have the kids take phones out to work as calculators or do Internet research.

Other school policies sound like Fighting against the future.

[multivac]

At our kids' school the Y7s have an outside area that's just for them, if they want to use it. They chat, run about, and yes, play on their phones (and/or their school iPads). There are also lunchtime clubs they can do. There's a policy of responsible use for phones, rather than any kind of blanket restriction.

There does seem to be an assumption by some schools, and youngsters, that 'play' is something that simply stops once you leave primary school. It's a real shame.

[NicknameUsed]

What kind of school does your son go to Click? Are you in the UK?

[Badbadbunny]

Other school policies sound like Fighting against the future.

More like a lazy way of dealing with the potential disruption of phones to simply ban them. Like I say, the lazy way!

Our son's school allow phones to be used at breaks and lunchtime, and yes, some teachers allow them to be used to take photos of the white board or even videos of lab experiments. But they're also very strict about them being turned off during lessons - if one pings with a text or rings or a teacher sees a pupil texting or playing a game, it's confiscated and the parent has to come to collect it from the school office - and it's enforced - no second chances, no pleading - the kids all know the rules and what will happen and because of that, there is no disruption!

[nocampinghere]

allowed phones here

DD said at the beginning of yr7 last year there was quite a bit of playing on phones at break/lunch
Then the clubs started, people became more sociable, less shy, busier. Now they're hardly on phones at all.

phones are part of life, society. think it is better to be taught what is acceptable, unacceptable, polite, social use rather than blanket bans. bans are easier than changing behaviour though i guess.

[woodlands01]

The secondary school I teach in had quite a 'loose' policy. Phones not to be used unless allowed by teachers in class for learning (photos of board/homework/calculators etc), could be used by students at lunch times and break. However, there were several incidents of inappropriate photos and videos being posted on social media which were obviously taken in school hours. Now banned at lunchtime and break time. Can still be used in class as direc ted by teachers but otherwise should be on silent and hidden.

[treggle]

Phones are allowed at both dcs schools. One has loads of sports clubs and one only has 45 mind for lunch so no time for playing.

[treggle]

Dd was at a school which banned phones. It was a total PITA

[BizzyFizzy]

At my school, none of the children bring phones into school. They go out and play. They have to be dragged in.

[bruffin]

Year 7s did play 40 years ago, except boys maybe playing football. But dont ever remember playing in playground when i was at secondary school.
Dcs school had a sensible attotude and never banned phones,just banned using the camera. Never been an issue. They had a clubs fair in first week and encouraged all the dc to join each 2 to keep them occupied.

[WeAllHaveWings]

ds is in S1 and says the same, no one plays at break times, they all just stand together in a big huddle to chat/play with phones and there is the occasional scuffle for entertainment

[Clickclickclick]

nickname Yes I'm in the UK. Ds goes to an academy school. It runs itself quite differently to any school I've come across before, but it gets brilliant results.

[ScarfForAGiraffe]

I find this sad. I used to be in a middle school system where we went up to secondary for year 8.

We all played in year 7, elastics, chase, off ground touch, stuck in the mud etc, it was odd going up to secondary when we went out at break to find that v few people did and noone played :(

I'm sad they changed the system to go up for year 7 as that's stopping play a year younger.

There's true middle schools in the next Lea along - go up for year 9, I bet they still play in year 7/8...