School rules about phones.

[seeker]

My dd's school has always been relaxed about phones. The school places a lot of emphasis on trusting the girls generally. However, from after half term, they will have to put their phones in their lockers at the beginning of the day and not get them out til the end of the day. I have no problem with them not being allowed to have them during the day. However, I have two concerns. One is what seems to be a sudden change in the relationship of trust between staff and girls. Why not tell them that they have to be turned off and in the bottom of bags in school time? My other concern is the prospect of 1000 girls rushing to their lockers at the end of the day for their phones - they have shuttle buses to catch to connect to public buses home. Is is remotely possible that this "phone stampede is NOT going to create chaos and missed buses? Anyone have any experience?

It's more kids videoing their teachers and putting them in facebook and YouTube than cyber bullying I reckon
I too would not be a secondaryy sch teacher for all the tea in china...

I don't get why ops dd can't get herself home from secondary sch though
my kids will have to as me and dh have to work

"Yes Seeker but the phones in bags thing is obviously not working or they would not be changing the rules. Why not support the school? Just a thought..."

Pinkgrapefruitjuice - If you had read my OP you would have seen that they haven't tried the "phones in bags" thing.

And where did I say I wasn't supporting the school?

Compo - she can. But I do prefer her not to walk a mile and a half across fields in the dark, so in winter I pick her up from the station. And if I don't know what train to meet, I end up waiting for half an hour for her. Which is boring, a waste of time and unnecessary.

Seeker I stand corrected

Ive read your OP carefully now and to address your two main concerns:

1. trust issue - always goes both ways so I would imagine the school is addressing current issues by this new rule.

1. I would imagine the school will be able to organise the students visits to lockers at the end of the day, dont they have to get coats, sports bags etc anyway?

As you feel so strongly about this issue I would advise that you either contact the school or get your daughter to bring the issue up at school council or other student voice opportunity.

seeker I'm pretty sure I know the school of which you speak.

I think "out of sight" will be plenty to appease staff - bags will NOT be searched looking for phones unless something has gone seriously wrong.

As for the trust issue - there have been serious breaches of that trust by several pupils in various year groups, endangering both pupils' safety, and staff careers potentially. As part of the bullying policy, action had to be seen to be taken. Most of the little darlings were not involved, and I can see that they feel agrieved, but no other policy would be actually workable, IYSWIM

I don't honestly think most pupils will notice any difference (as I say, just keep phones out of sight like they normally would be).

The trust is still in place in that pupils have full access to all the buildings including computer rooms before and after school, and lunchtimes, without supervision. Don't get that in many places.

Thank you.

It was the trust thing that bothered me particularly. When we were looking at schools, the day before we visited this one, we went to another where the loos were kept locked and the children had to ask for a key to use them. This horrified me so much (naive emoticon) that the free access to the school and the sense of trust was very very important to me. It was horrible to think that this is being eroded in any way. Let's hope that lessons have been learned and the little unmentionables have spent half term repenting.

They all know more than they're letting on - it's part of the definition of teenager That's what makes them fun.

Keep the loos locked!!!!