Strict no phones rule at secondary school

[mrstidytraxxxx]

DS is starting Y7 in September. The school has a strict no mobile phone rule on site. If a student takes a mobile onto school grounds and it is found, it is confiscated for a minimum of 48-hours.

We live approximately a 30-minute walk from secondary school. There are buses, but these are apparently unreliable.

Either myself or DH will take DS to school at present (primary school is less than 10-minute walk away) and he walks home by himself, with one of us meeting him at home.

When DS plays out with friends, he has his mobile with him and knows we use Google Family Link to check he is where he says he is and he is happy with this arrangement. Obviously, we will not be able to continue like this for school journeys from September.

I would like to get a GPS tracker, either key-ring or watch, to make sure where he is on the way home.

Can anyone recommend an Android-compatible GPS key-ring or watch, that does not alert if it moves too far away from the mobile it is connected to, preferably subscription free?

Thanks in advance.

So at my DC's school ...

At the start of the day everyone goes to their first lesson. This isn't necessarily in class groups and is a different room every day. So where do they hand their phones in? Do they have to go to their class room first before going to their first lesson? Which means everyone has to arrive earlier as it could be 5 minutes walk between the two. Plus more congestion in corridors.

Not to mention that there is literally nothing in most classrooms except desks, chairs and shelves for books. Nothing lockable at all. And there's no space (or money) to introduce something.

At the end of the day you have the whole thing in reverse.

I have skirted over the fact that some students have lessons on a different campus a shuttle bus ride away and may not even be in the same physical location at the end of the day.
Plus that adding in two extra sets of going places is particularly difficult for disabled and SEN students.

A school that's small enough for everyone to hand their phones in a Reception really isn't the same as most big secondaries. I'm sure the idea works brilliantly there.

I think if some parents knew what use is made of Smartphones in schools they'd be horrified.

That's it. In a nutshell.

This is really interesting. Out of curiosity, if kids are starting and leaving at and from different locations each day, where do they store things like PE kits and textbooks? Are they expected to carry these things with them all day?

Yes. Although they only have textbooks at KS5.

PE kits in lockers and only retrieved for PE lessons..

Text books stay in classrooms (they are online if they need to refer to them for homework).

Do you live in London? Because where I am, it's bloody dangerous. Not a 'Little house on the prairie' vibe. Its dangerous and parents are rightly so going to be worried and want to track their children!

And tracking their children makes it less dangerous because ...? Are they less likely to be attacked or run over by a car?

But the reality now is that we DO have phones. I live in London where phone theft at knife point is ridiculous common. You may think that would be all the more reason not to carry phones, but actually these theives do not believe in this day and age a school child is not carrying a phone, therefore making them vulnerable to being stabbed!

My children know that they are to hand over their phone if ever approched. The value of the phone is not comparable to the value of their lives. Not having a a phone leaves them vulnerable.

Because I can see exactly where my child is and they can alert me via a panic button if they feel in danger. Because if I can see that they are not taking a normal route home, I can be alert to a potential problem. No, obviously not useful in terms of being hit by a car, but that would bever have been my intention in terms of tracking them. It certainly is a safer option overall.

DDs school has a strict no phones rule. This means if staff are aware of a phone they will confiscate it even if its switched off. Lots of the kids do take their phones and keep them turned off in the bottom of their bags, but even if they are seen outside the school say on the way in they will be confiscated. They have in the past done locker searches. School believe this rule has decreased bullying

DD is a rule follower and chooses not to take her phone. She has a set time we have agreed for her to be home by which allows a degree of flexibility if she wants to go to the shops, hang out with friends for awhile etc. I'm opposed to tracking as I don't think it's good to teach kids, especially girls that they should be tracked, and that this becomes normalised for future relationships. So far this hasn't thrown up any issues but she is the sort of kids who generally sticks to rules

But that's only helpful if you are close enough (or can alert someone who is close enough) to go and help. It's no good seeing they are taking a different route home with no context or ability to do anything. You don't know if they are taking a different route because they are going via Tim's Gran's house or whether they are worried about being followed. What would you actually (practically) do and would it be quick enough? or is the tracking just giving you (and possibly your child) false peace of mind?

I don't think it's good to teach kids, especially girls that they should be tracked, and that this becomes normalised for future relationships

That is an excellent point.

I GENUINELY don't see how being able to track a child is safer. I can see how being able to text is. But if your child presses the panic button because they feel in danger, what are you going to do? And in the time the child is getting out their phone and pressing the panic button, they could have gone into a shop and asked the person behind the counter for help.

I am close enough, as are various family and friends linked to the account. It's certainly more likely to be beneficial than not.

And a child with a panic button may well not take on board other ways to keep safe and look after themselves.

@thing47

We have a kid like this and he has special
permission to do so. If he was one of a handful in school with a phone then we wouldn’t have the issues we are having. I think that would come under reasonable adjustments.

But both kids and parents seem to think it is a human right to be able to text each other constantly. If you are texting your kids during the day then they are using it as an excuse to do other things that they shouldn’t be. Every child is ask about why they have their phones out is texting their parents which cannot statistically be true.

And then parents ask us why they aren’t Doug better in their GCSEs- because the kid spends all day everyday glued to their phone and when we finally fight to get it off them so they can do their work the parent phones in and complains they’ve had it confiscated, again.

If a child is kidnapped you have their latest location. If a child presses panic button, you are likely to get to the location or alert other family or friends that could get there sooner.

Alternatively you could come home from work expecting your child to be home only to discover they're not and you've zero idea what went wrong or when.

Surely it's not rocket science? It's not fail proof but it's definitely more beneficial!

Sorry, auto correct made a mess of that.

Essentially, phone are a complete distraction in class. I must confiscate two every lesson in Yr 10 from various kids. They are mindlessly scrolling instead of paying attention to their GCSE learning and then wander why they are failing.

That's good to hear @Boudicasbeard, it's encouraging to know that your school is alive to this issue and prepared to make adjustments to accommodate it. Thanks.

I agree, it's a very good point.

Having a panic button is not the only measure a child is advised to take.

I've told my children if they think they're being followed to walk up to the nearest door and knock on it.
A) the person following may assume they live there and walk on.

B) even I'd they don't, my children can explain to whoever has opened their door what is going on.

C) it buys them time to alert me.

Also, having a phone protects them from potential stabbing! They know to hand phone over immediately if targeted.

Parents should really stop texting their children when they're at school, especially in lessons.

Jesus 🙈

"Also, having a phone protects them from potential stabbing! They know to hand phone over immediately if targeted."

Seriously????