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Original poster

Mobile phone

35 replies

Myusername2015 · 19/03/2020 18:46

Our school has decided that staff working at home for the time being must change their work voicemail to give their personal mobile details to any parent etc who needs to get in touch. I know these are extraordinary times am I overthinking worrying about this?

OP posts:
Whattodo121 · 19/03/2020 18:48

No no no no no no no no.

No way.

Parents can email your work email with a time they’re free to talk and you can call them and withold your number.

juliej00ls · 19/03/2020 18:48

No way ridiculous idea

noblegiraffe · 19/03/2020 18:52

No. Safeguarding.

noblegiraffe · 19/03/2020 18:53

What is it about this crisis that is turning some heads into total bellends?

eggofmantumbi · 19/03/2020 19:06

Also how many staff in an average secondary even have a work mobile?

maddy68 · 19/03/2020 19:08

That's against safeguarding rules. Just no!

noblegiraffe · 19/03/2020 19:08

Can you imagine a bunch of kids getting hold of a teacher’s number at a time when they have literally nothing else to do?

Original poster
Myusername2015 · 19/03/2020 19:08

No one one has work mobiles other than SLT. I thought about just buying a cheap payg phone but surely safeguarding would be horrendous as you guys say.

OP posts:
MovingBriskyOn · 19/03/2020 19:15

We've been told that if we have to use our mobiles to speak to parents to hide the number - 141 before dialing, I think.

And they're being encouraged to contact via email

eggofmantumbi · 19/03/2020 19:55

@myusername2015 exactly! It's hard enough getting a school mobile for a bloody trip!

YouAreGoldAlwaysBelieve · 19/03/2020 20:47

Just no, always email for an audit trail

Chochito · 21/03/2020 17:26

No.

If they want to speak on the phone about something that can't be emailed during office hours, then they speak to a member of SLT who has a work phone.

cliffdiver · 21/03/2020 17:28

Ridiculous.

What do they envisage being so urgent that an email would not suffice?

MsJaneAusten · 21/03/2020 18:08

Nooooooooo!

PotteringAlong · 21/03/2020 18:10

Nooooooooo.

We’ve been told categorically that all contact is by school email / classcharts / google classrooms and anything else is strictly forbidden. Do not agree to that. Speak to your union.

DoubleAction · 21/03/2020 18:13

No! Just No! We will need to use our own phones to make safeguarding calls but have given strict instructions that the number must be withheld.

The office phone number has been diverted to the head's mobile.

We are giving out our personal work email addresses.

BackforGood · 21/03/2020 18:19

No way.
E-mail leaves a trail and doesn't give pupils (or their parents) access to your personal details.
Ridiculous ask from your school.

BlueJava · 21/03/2020 18:24

No way! They email you, and if you need to speak (rather than resolving it over email) you have their number and call them blocking yours. That's what I'd be doing. Especially if it's a secondary school - you'll be doing their grades soon as that would be a nightmare if they can call direct.

ThatLibraryMiss · 21/03/2020 18:35

Hell no! We were told very, very clearly and many times to lock our Facebook pages right down so I have no idea why giving out personal information like a phone number seems like a good idea.

TitianaTitsling · 21/03/2020 19:27

Absolutely not! What happens when you have a missed call at 0345am that's a crisis safeguarding issue and you don't answer? Straight away l thought of that Cpn who ended up hauled over the coals for crisis calls made to her mobile while she was on leave so didn't get them! Think the outcome was if you give out a mobile that's offering expectation of availability? Happy to be corrected!

cupofteaplease · 21/03/2020 19:31

We’ve been told we have to phone once a week and email in between in order that we can listen for any safeguarding concerns.
Should we not be calling?

PhoneTwattery · 22/03/2020 03:08

Our school bought a batch of cheap phones.

Absolutely REFUSE to do this. It breaks every Safeguarding rule going!

echt · 22/03/2020 05:39

We’ve been told we have to phone once a week and email in between in order that we can listen for any safeguarding concerns.
Should we not be calling

If they want you to phone, they give you phone.

DoubleAction · 22/03/2020 07:06

Cupofteaplease, yes of course you should be calling but you need to withhold your number.

Echt, no they don't. For a start where do you think all these phones schools will suddenly want to buy are? Companies wanting to set up homeworking can't get the tech they need either. It's fine for teachers to use their own phones, they just need to withhold the number .

PhoneTwattery · 22/03/2020 07:11

you should be calling but you need to withhold your number.

Have you ever made batch calls to parents? Do you know how many have set their phones not to accept calls from withheld numbers? In fact do you know how many have no voicemail? Always makes me wonder how we’d ever let them know if their child was halfway to hospital in an ambulance. .