Mobile phones in secondary schools

[Bounder]

We are starting to consider secondary options for ds1 (year 4) and was shocked to hear from the mother of an older boy that at his school students commonly use phones to video others, including the teacher, in class. In fact this was at the root of a bullying episode recently. Her take on it was "well they cant really confiscate 1200 phones every morning can they?" - of course thats true. Do most schools allow phones but insist that they are turned off etc during lessons? Thinking about it, it must be a nightmare to police

[kiskidee]

our school's policy is that all mobile phones should be turned off at the gates and remain turned off till they leave again.

outside those parameters, teachers can confiscate mobiles (and ipods) if they are turned on in school. it is held in a safe in the office.

a letter is taken home that night. when the child returns the letter signed by the parent, they can have the phone back.

fair enough.

[fatmomma35]

My husband teaches at a scondary school and phones are banned, if they are seen, they are confiscated and the parents have to either write in to ask for them back or come in to collect them. Obviously there are exceptions when some children require contact with home, but the same rules apply, if seen using them, they are confiscated, DH says it works reallly well, (the same applies to Ipods etc)

[Blandmum]

We ban them. They have been used in bullying, happy slapping, and putting up offensive and bullying videos about teachers on the internet.

If we see them we confiscate them. We have pay phones for the kids to use and in emergencies the school will phone home for a child etc.

the same goes for other expensive, easily stolen, objects like Ipods

[frogs]

At dd1 secondary school they're not allowed at all in theory, in practice tolerated as long as they are out of sight at all times and switched off.

Being caught with a switched-on phone (even if not ringing) = detention.

Fair enough.

[sarflondon]

at DC secondary school having mobile phones, ipods on or off banned. Head says this is on advice of police and limits attacks, muggings etc going to and from school.

At one one other secondary school we looked at, head confiscates mobile phones and other valuables and they are not returned until the end of term. He said this was an effective deterrent.

[paulaplumpbottom]

They should be banned, I think its awful what has been allowed to go in some of those internet sites. Those poor teachers.

[sixthformmum]

ours allows them year 10 upwards but must be switched off etc, the younger ones can have them in exceptional circumstances (those who live a long way from school so would have difficult journey home)

[Blandmum]

To clarify, sixth formers can have them, but must be switched off etc

Up to sixth form they can't have them

[roisin]

We ban them (11-16s only).

If a phone is seen in school at any point it is confiscated. A letter is sent home (by mail) and they don't get their phone back until the letter is signed and returned to say the parent understands the school policy.

Generally it works quite well, but we still have to confiscate phones on a regular basis. (I confiscated 3 last term.)

They can be a real menace in schools.

[Bounder]

Its good to hear that lots of schools have firm policies. I think that this will be an important criterion for us to the extent that we have any choice (a whole new topic) as I think their misuse can be terribly damaging as well as disruptive. <br /> Roisin - when you say theyre banned does that mean they are not allowed at all ie not just turned off in the bottom of a bag? I suppose lots of people would say they need them for journeys home etc - although we seemed to manage a few years ago.

[roisin]

Technically they are not allowed them, and if their parent says they need one for the journey home then there is a facility for them to leave it with the deputy head for the day and pick it up at the end of school.

In practice if a child has a phone switched off in the bottom of their bag, we are not going to know about it. But we do actively discourage it, because there is no knowing what they might get up to with them during breaktimes or at lunchtime.

[Blandmum]

Roisin, we have the same policy.

And it is quite amazing, the number of phones I have taken in to cries of 'I Have have to have it miss, my Gran is ill' And we you tell them that you will phone the hospital/mum and find out how Gran is for them they quickly change thier tune.

Wonder why that is!

[roisin]

Your students must be brighter than ours. I've never heard an excuse that inventive from any of ours! Just general wailing seems to be the order of the day here

[Blandmum]

I have had 'Its not a phone miss!'

To which I quipped, 'What is it then, an umbrella?'

To a stony face. She didn't get my humour!

[roisin]

We have such a clear policy and I still occasionally find someone with a phone out in a lesson

Then they argue the toss when I tell them to hand it over.

Then their parents phone up and argue the toss with SMT or whoever that evening. Even though they all know what the policy is and have signed up that they agree with it!

I do find it astonishing what parents phone up and complain about; and what they don't complain about.

[Blandmum]

Hard to believe is't it. And you can bet your boots they would be the first to complain if their child was the victim of mobile phone bullying.

[Milliways]

DS has a phone for travel as he has a long journey (2 buses, changing in town) & he lets me know if buses missed etc so we don't worry.

They do get phones out at lunchtimes but confiscated if out/on in school time.

[princesscc]

I've just read and signed all the necessary documents for our dd secondary school and at the end of every section of the school prospectus there is a A4 page about the consequences of taking a phone to school. So I guess thats a no then!

[fizzbuzz]

I have had kids in whose parents have phoned them in class

[fizzbuzz]

have had colleague who confiscated a 6th form phone in lesson whilst 6th former was talking on it.

6th former was talking to her mum who was a friend of said colleague. Colleague spoke to mother on the phone, explaining what had happened. Mother started bollocking 6th former via teacher, who had to cut off call eventually...

[agnesnitt]

When I get back to uni and finish attaining my qualifications (degree to finish & PGCE to get) I have a cunning plan to be the most evil secondary teacher in the UK.

I will have a box. I will have a plastic ziplok pouch on every desk. Start of lesson, kids will be informed that their name goes on paper in the ziplok bag, along with any phones and electrical equipment they have in their bags. Box will stay in my desk drawer. They'll get them back at end of lesson. Any child caught out will have items confiscated till end of term (full term too, not half term).

I hate the blinking things!

Agnes

[twinsetandpearls]

ww are only supposed to confiscate phones if they are videoing us as it tends to end up on you tube, am a bit tipsy so may be wrong but asm sure the legality of confiscation has phoned.

[Blondilocks]

I didn't have a phone until 6th form but the policy was that they weren't to be on or seen in lessons but were tolerated at break times etc.

Camera phones were very rare then - well among school children.

I think it's fair enough to confiscate them. Even if children did have them in their bags there's no reason why they need to use them when they're at school.

I did use to txt ex-OH while in lessons though

[ravenAK]

We confiscate them & parents are expected to come in & collect. It's a bit hit & miss: with my ghastly bottom set Year 11s, I tend to ask them nicely to put them away, before getting into a ruck I won't win, given our SLT are a bag of spineless wankers & can't be relied on to back me up.

However, it's increasingly the case that kids aren't that fussed about confiscation: the damn things are cheap enough. In 2 years time PAYG mobiles will probably be given away with tanks of petrol.

'Reasonable' usage should = at the bottom of bag, switched off, for use off-site. Tbh, I think what will ultimately happen is that kids will get blase about them & stop pratting about (imagine trying to impress your mates now by spelling 'BOOBLESS' on a calculator...)

[fortyplus]

At my sons' school children are not allowed phones in class. If they wish to bring a phone to school they have to hand it in at Student Services in the morning and collect it at the end of the day.
Random searches of bags are carried out from time to time and any phones found are confiscated until a parent comes in to collect.
I think that this is a good compromise - I like my children to have access to a phone as they often walk home, but it's not necessary for them to use it during the school day.