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?

This is just ridiculous.

there is a difference between fitting in and trying to impress people that's the 2nd stupid thing that you've said.

We don't all live in the same type of places so we assess based on our circumstances. I am not that rigorous about locking the front door tbh - we usually do it at night but sometimes forget. we once went on holiday and forgot to lock the door - I've been out all day and come home to find the keys in the lock on the outside

At the end of the day - I pay about £20 a month each for my DCs phones including all calls/texts and internet access. I actually don't think that is excessive. I bet the iphones are a lot more.

Brenda - it's me that does the collecting and dropping off - it was our choice to put them out of catchment. DS1 is borderline aspergers and was bullied at primary - we chose to go to a different school so that he wasn't going to High school as a "marked man".

I suck up and pay the travel costs of that and the pay cut I took so that I have the time to take them there and back, I also have to deal with the fact they mainly interact with friends on-line since we aren't local, I also deal with taking them back and forward when they do want to meet with friends since there is no public transport available.

But it's fine of course that the bullies parents need do none of that. I am happy to pay for things as in general they behave really well. DS2 can be a pain in the bum sometimes as he is pushing boundaries and making his place in the world, but I know that I can trust him to behave and work hard at school. DS1 is overly compliant but has nice friends that he sometimes talks to in real life but can chat to easily on-line.

I am at the school every day, I've never seen a fight, I've never seen anyone smoking, I've never seen anyone drop litter - maybe it is utopia.

ps: not a grammar school, I guess those schools have more class iPads & teachers with time to chase parents with late requests.

In my experience this isn't the case. Grammar schools statistically have a low number of pupil premium pupils so their funding is much lower than nearby schools. The comp near me has used its extra funding to buy class sets of iPads. DD's grammar doesn't have any!

You've lost me wanker

Basic Samsung Galaxy Ace with very cheap all in SIM. had on a contract deal, now out of contract so continue as a SIM only thing. About £5-£7 a month all in?

Walk a mile each way, and there is no-one at home when they leave or return, and have a hectic extra-curricular schedule, most of which they get themselves to on foot or need to call me for a pick-up (cricket, for example, can end at any time!).

Worked up to this from PAYG in old handset (non touch screen) in Y7. The touch screen is important, as is the ability to play music.

Might envy other sleeker phones, but is not impressed by their fragility.

His school - naice comp - has a no phones in lessons policy, but with a wide catchment, some rural and dependent on buses etc, is happy for pupils to have a phone with them that is used outside lessons. VERY hot on any cyberbullying type use, though - exclusions etc.

Agree rollonthesummer, grammar schools certainly aren't awash with class iPads etc. most of them are skint.

DS at local grammar (state) has Google Nexus 5. Bought with birthday money a couple of years ago. I have an 'extra line' SIM for about £10 a month so he shares my calls and data. Lots of his friends have Edge phones etc. but he doesn't seem bothered though!

ps: not a grammar school, I guess those schools have more class iPads & teachers with time to chase

The opposite. Grammars have far less money per student and cannot afford this at all.

iphone 5s/c, primarily at the school I teach at. The odd Samsung Galaxy and the odd iPhone 6.

My DS 15 DOESNT HAVE A PHONE at all.
He is at a Grammar School.......

DS 17 has a iPhone 4 and she pays her own monthly contract.

No iPads in the school at all and over 30 kids in every class.

What about the Motorola Moto g, sim free and costs around £150. DD 19 has one and likes it. There isn't a huge memory on the latest 4g version but you can add a memory card which DD has done and that seems to have worked out fine. She is also really good at losing or breaking phones so there is no way she would get anything more expensive while we are paying.

13yo has some sort of Nokia Lumia (maybe £120 PAYG) and 16yo has an iPhone 5c. Not mega flash phones but do everything they need and most of what they want. In my experience the biggest danger to the phones is them getting dropped. / sat on and the screens getting smashed. DDs use not exactly cool but practical flip cases as (after the first screen replacement) they are on their own.

No way i will spend hundreds of pounds on a phone for myself or dcs nowadays. But tbh once upon a time i had spent hundreds of pounds on a single handbag and a single watch in fact i have quite a few of them. Thats long time ago before i had children so no future worries. But it was my own money not my patents'. For my dds occasionally i will buy them vans,tom and superdry etc but not an iphone.