Yondr pouches; what are schools doing for kids with no phone?

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

What are other schools doing if a child doesn't have a phone?
My son is yr7. He has a brick phone that he doesn't really take out with him.
Today was the first day the yondr pouches came out for his high school. He didn't have his phone. So he was taken out of form to be searched with what sounds like a metal detector wand (they found his missing front door key, so that was helpful!). I asked DS what will happen each day he doesn't have a phone and he says he has to leave form to be searched.
Obviously, the solution is to take the phone. But he really doesn't need to, doesn't want to (I think he's decided it's cooler to pretend he has no phone than to have a brick phone 🤣) and is likely to forget even if I tell him to take one. Form time is where they do reading, and as a reluctant reader - I don't want him missing this for a search!
What are other schools doing? Is it worth me approaching them to explain he doesn't have a smart phone, and doesn't want to bring his brick phone to school either.

Just my kid with no phone then 🙈

I’d let the school know and hope that would prevent any further searches. Ours doesn’t allow smartphones on site at all, just simple phones switched off in school bags.

…where was the front door key? 🤨

I'd write to the school, that's ridiculous! Or, get a fake / old small brick phone without a battery and keep it in an old yondr pouch permanently in his bag just for the sake of it

That's bonkers to search him with a metal detector. They're not checking him for knives at Heathrow security desk.

Ours have a Google form parents can fill in to say the child doesn’t have a phone

We had to sign a form if our children don't take a phone to school.
However, my daughter (who previously didn't take her phone) said it was too much hassle as sometimes they have a different person covering registration who didn't know who didn't have a phone and who accused them of not putting their phone in the pouch, so she started taking her phone in. Silly really, but the pouches do seem to be working, so I'll live with it.

However, I do agree, they do seem to stigmatise children who aren't attached to their phones or who have parents who don't allow them.

Our school introduced these pouches in June. We also had to pay for the pouch. I think you had to complete an exemption form - as you wouldnt want to pay £15 if didnt need a pouch. I am guessing they were being over zealous today if the first day. Best contact the office tomorrow and explain if he won't be taking a phone at all.

We fill in a form. If they do a random check and a child doesn't have their phone that day for some reason, and there is no form, school call the parent to check.

Parents are asked to fill in a form to say that their child won't be bringing a phone to school. I think the staff still do random bag searches for some of them but they no longer presume that the child is hiding a phone somewhere.

My DC’s school, introduced the pouches in May. My son rarely takes his phone in. At the beginning children without a phone would get scanned with a metal detector as they arrived. Within a week or so that changed to a quick bag check and now my son says they don’t do anything. He just says he hasn’t brought his phone!

Blimey. Our just have to be in a bag switched off.

A phone detector?! Good news about the key though 🤣