Mobile Phones in school

Why would they have their phones out in class?

I have no idea. Just a news item I was reading.

So fair enough, but what should happen ? Phones collected at start of school day and redistributed at close ? Has Gavin made a practical suggestion ?

Phones in theory are not allowed out in lessons, but I bet that’s pretty hard to police in some schools,

Wow! For the first time ever, I actually agree with Gavin Williamson

As long as they aren't used during lesson time, I'm all for parents being able to keep in touch with their children during the day.

Life is much busier than it was when I was a child.
Parents are busy, workplaces more demanding, arrangements likely to deviate.

I was also amazed that they are even allowed in the classroom at all.

In my school, phones were switched off, kept in bags and only allowed to be switched on in the playground at the end of the day. In an emergency, pupils were allowed to contact parents.

The secondary school I have retired from has a very clear policy. It is accepted that parents and carers will want the pupil to carry a mobile phone so that they are contactable before and after school but once in school they must be turned off.

Mobile phones which are brought into school must be turned off (not placed on silent) and stored out of sight immediately (for example in bags or lockers) as the pupil/student enters the school site. They must remain turned off and out of sight until the pupil/student has left the school site at the end of the day. The simple policy is ‘not seen, not heard, not taken away’.

The only exception is for KS5 students:

Key Stage 5 students are permitted to use mobile phones in media lessons as directed by the teacher in charge of the lesson and also in the public library. Mobile technology may be used to support learning in the sixth form study area, for example to access Google Classroom. Sixth formers are not allowed to use mobile phones in and around school and must set an example to the rest of the school.

With regards to reaching pupils during the school day:

Parents/carers are reminded that in cases of emergency, the school office remains a vital and appropriate point of contact and can ensure your child is reached in a relevant and appropriate way.

They have been banned here in France since 2018. In my school it was before then, that is to say they were not to be seen or else they were confiscated for the rest of the term. That been said because parents needed to keep in contact with their child while not in school, they went and bought another.

Both my grandchildren are not allowed their phones at school. Has been policy for about 7 years. Never any problems. More problems with having it stolen, pupils mugged, nasty videos put online. Any problems, schools Rings parent (s).

Those rules are in my grandson's school.
If pupils are seen using a phone, it will be confiscated for the day on a first offence, and for the term subsequently.

MissAdventure

As long as they aren't used during lesson time, I'm all for parents being able to keep in touch with their children during the day.

Life is much busier than it was when I was a child.
Parents are busy, workplaces more demanding, arrangements likely to deviate.

This is my opinion, too.

I sent my children to school with phones. I would have fully supported any teacher who penalised them for having them out in class, or even switched on, but it was reassuring for me to know that I could text them in the event of a change in plans. Much safer than the risk of someone claiming to have been given a message by me asking them to collect them.

I was also happier knowing that they could contact me on their way home, and it was much more convenient if they could contact me to ask if they could go to a friend's house or something.

What's wrong with a policy of not allowing phones to be switched on on school premises, or during teaching time? They could check them at lunchtime or when school finished for the afternoon.

Not having them on the premises at all won't stop bullying - it just takes the problem out of the hands of the school, where it is, arguably, easier to contain. How are parents supposed to police online bullying carried out by classmates? Far easier to be able to report it to the Head, who could ask to see the phones of all concerned.

Absolutely agree with Doodledog. Mobile phones were not around when my children were at school. I once had to leave a message for one of my daughters about how I could not collect her and what she had to do instead. The school secretary promised to give her the message BUT SHE FORGOT!
Luckily all was o.k. thanks to one of the other mothers but how much better it would have been if I could have texted or phoned my daughter.

My DGS school also has the rule about being switched off, but I like ‘not seen, not heard, not taken away.
DGD at primary school, hands hers in and collects it at the end of the day. Some children have the most up-to-date iPhones-unbelievable.

Must be difficult to stop them as most have permanent AirPods in under their hair.

Most of my teacher friends says phones aren’t a problem at their schools due to policies already in place. Even in college I’ve not found them to be a problem. It’s just a bit of an odd thing for him to come out with. Makes me a bit suspicious.

I work with adults who are unable to stay off their phones for an hour or two..
Every time there's a lull, out come the phones.

There seem to be mobile phones now that do not have a camera for exactly the same price as the almost identical version that does have a camera.

Is there a policy in some schools that pupils are allowed to take a basic mobile phone onto school premises as long as it does not have a camera?

What's the point of that? Children will still be able to receive and send messages, which can be very distracting. We had parents who would phone their child in class and pupils who would phone their parent if they got a row from their teacher.
Phones off and put away at the beginning of the day and on again, once off school premises. That's the only solution.

I think that it must be much more difficult to be a teacher now than in the days before the ubiquitous mobile phones.

What do the teachers unions have to say about this?

Of course kids should be allowed to take phones to school.
They don't get them out in class.
Schools themselves deal with it.
And they can; they've been dealing with the issue for 20 years.
But of course, Williamson will swan in and flex his puny muscles...

Honestly, you'd think that Williamson would have plenty more pressing issues to deal with.
But there you are.
This government is an utter joke ?

Mobile phones hadn't been invented when my children were growing up, for which I am very thankful. They have their uses but I grew up, and my children grew up without them, with no problem.
If parents urgently need to contact their child they can always ring the school. I know someone said that a message wasn't passed on, but this must be very unusual.

Antonia oh heck, no.
You can't get staff to pass on messages from parents to child

49FannyCornforth Antonia oh heck, no. You can't get staff to pass on messages from parents to child
Really? I would think it might depend on the message. I'd like to think that if it was urgent, staff would try to pass on a message. Not, of course, if it's something trivial and I wouldn't expect that.