What phones does your 14 year old DS have (especially those at a grammar school!)

[letseatgrandma]

I only add the grammar school comment because having the right phone seems to be a 'big thing' at DS's grammar whereas my friends with children at other schools report otherwise.

DS has my old iphone 4s which is totally on its last legs (I had it for 2 years and he's had it for 2-he's looked after it well). It's his birthday coming up and he'd like a new one.

Loads of the boys at his school (going into Y9) have an iphone 5 or 5s. Some have a 6. I don't have a 5 to pass on, so I'd have to buy it.

I don't want to buy a contract one (he's currently on a £7 a month cheapy deal) costing me £20+ a month to get a new phone, but could probably get him a iphone 5 second hand from Ebay (though those are selling for £200+-for a second hand phone, is that a crap birthday present!!?)

I'm wondering about other phones though now and wondering if you get more for your money? Are they socially acceptable ;) !!? Samsung S4 etc?

I'm afraid this way madness lies.

I think Android phones like the Samsungs are perfectly acceptable.

Never believe the everyone has an i phone 6 nonsense,lots of kids with cheaper nokia Lumia, basic Samsung in our school.It is only a big thing if you let it be and the goal posts will constantly move i phone 7 out yet?

this way madness lies.

this^.
I had a rule that nothing valuable went into school. It's only asking to be nicked.

My grammar school 13yr DD would love my Samsung S4... She can carry on loving it from a distance, she's not getting one! She has a Samsung S2 off eBay - less chance of it getting nicked and not horribly expensive to replace should she lose it. "So what?!" is my standard response to her plea that "everyone else has an iPhone"...

Not Grammar school but we are sort of anti apple (itunes does my fucking head in) 15 year old DS has a Sony Xperia SP on contact (less than a year to go) - it's his 2nd Sony Contract phone. 14 year old DS now also on his 2nd Contact phone also both Sony, he has had an Xperia M4 aqua for a couple of months. Both seem perfectly acceptable with DS2s obviously being the newer model of the 2.

Very little chance of being nicked as a:) it's not really that type of school, b:) it tends to never be off their person and c:) everyone has decent phones and probably a lot of them are more expensive than DSs

My 14 yo is at a boarding school and he has a galaxy fame (I think?), it was £50ish and then he has a sim only deal with data and all of that which is cheap and I pay for.

My 16yo twins have iphone 6's but they work in the holidays so saved for the upfront costs themselves then I pay their (minimal) contracts/insurance.

If they want top of the range phones they have to work for them is my rule.

Does the charge when hold on a 4s? I think you should upgrade. Mine all have 5s. Had he no savings ?

"Not that type of school" Wanker?

A special 100% theft free school, then?

My kids school doesn't have mugging etc either.

Right, because mugging is the only way expensive electronic equipment might be stolen in a school?

I work at a weird place. I leave my bag wallet and phone out. Never taken. In fact on the 8 years I've been there only one teacher has had s theft. In my old place my wallet was nicked three times

No, it's not a special school and it has a mixed bag of students, it just doesn't seem to have problem theft or discipline etc.

There doesn't need to be an ongoing theft 'problem' for a theft to occur, does there?

£200 upfront cost plus £7 per month (more if you need any additional top ups) is quite expensive for a 2nd hand iphone5. That works out at £368 minimum over two years ownership. If you look around you could get a brand new one on a capped contract for around £20 per month which is £240 over a 2 year contract.

As for what phones children have - my DS at an independent school has a Nokia lumia as do many others but there are lots of samsungs and iPhones too (usually parent hand me downs).

Sorry, it's actually £480 for the contract option but still better value in my opinion as it is a new phone with a guarantee.

My DC go to a naice independent school in s good area with no discipline issues and lots of lovely kids. Didn't stop DD's new iPhone 6 being nicked out of her bag during a choir practice in a room supervised by a teacher with only pupils she knew around :(
Thieves don't have to need the money or the phone.

No arsenic but I think the point was its no more likely to happen in that school than anywhere else. Some schools do have a theft issue. I work closely with the local secondaries and I know round here one or two do have a theft issue and one or two others are very safe environments. It doesn't mean you will definitely have or not have a theft in either but you know, it's ok to use local Intel to make decisions.

I would disregard it all and get the cheapest PAYG phone.

I'm just sceptical about wanker's assessment that there is "very little chance" of a theft.

There aren't many environments you can say that about.

(So, as Mehitabel and others have said - better just to have a cheap PAYG if you are a child in a school)

Of course there doesn't need to be a theft problem for a theft to occur. I'm not stupid. I have however done a risk assessment based on historical and current information. Aside from a few PE t shirts which I think is more accidental theft than deliberate, nothing has been taken in the 6 years that I have had contact with the school. I don't expect that to be the same for all schools.

But it's £100s of phone!

For a 13 year old!

What is the need to risk it at all?

Have you seen the Asda school coat thread?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2456915-To-buy-ds-a-coat-in-asda?