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Secondary education

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Original poster

Confiscated phone…unreasonable or not?

177 replies

Fruitflylady · 12/09/2023 11:17

Just had an email from DS’s school to say he’s had his phone confiscated, and that they’re keeping it until Friday!
They introduced this new sanction this term, so it’s my first experience with it. He’s never had his phone confiscated before, and I don’t know why it’s happened now as I can’t get through to the school to ask.
I’m happy to accept he’s made a mistake in using it when he shouldn’t have, and fair enough that they confiscate it for the day, but it seems out of order for them to keep it for the rest of the week. We use it to keep track of where he is when he’s walking home, and he can call to ask for help when he needs it.
How would everyone else approach this situation?

OP posts:
Iwasafool · 02/10/2023 11:47

Needmorelego · 25/09/2023 16:13

@Iwasafool although there is a big difference between "awkward" to get home and "impossible" to get home.
Admittedly this would have been in circa 1959 but when my mum was at school her whole class was given a detention. This was a school in town that many attended from villages and there was many cries of how they wouldn't be able to get home because they would miss the one and only bus.
Back then many families didn't have phones so they couldn't actually phone parents to collect them but many families didn't have cars either so a parent couldn't come and pick up anyway. I have no clue if there was a decent taxi service in small town 1959.
So the teacher ended up having to drive several of the village girls home in her car. Luckily it was 1959 and you could shove half a dozen kids in your car at one time 😂
Anyway..... depressingly even now it's 2023 many families can't afford to run a car and bus services are actually worse than in many places compared to 1959. Taxi services in more rural areas are frequently terrible or non existent.
If I was living in my mum's village now and my daughter was at the old school in the town (the current village children generally go to a different school now - but it's similar distance away) it would be physically impossible for her to get home if given a detention.
Rules are important, rules should be followed - but sometimes adaptions and a bit of flexibility needs to be given.

As the Head said it was up to the kids and parents need to talk to them not him. He wouldn't do it without notice though so you knew your child would be in detention next Monday till 5 pm or every night next week till 5 pm.

Mine weren't angels but they made sure they never got detention as they knew I wouldn't be picking them up.

cansu · 02/10/2023 19:07

It is simple. Keep the phone in the bag on silent. If you have a child who can't keep to the rules, buy them a non smart phone brick like a doro to keep in their bag. I can guarantee they won't get it out during the day and therefore they will never lose it through confiscation.

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