Banning Mobile Phones In Schools

[smurfchops]

Well, it's a start.  How about banning knives? 

[jourdain2]

Knives are already banned, smurfchops, but they are smuggled in.

I'm all for banning mobile phones in schools - it's how to do  it.  We tried when they first  got  going and phones were much less sophisticated, but we had parents yelling at us saying they felt safer when they knew their little darling could summon help if the bus broke down or something.

Pupils had to hand them into the office in the morning, eventually and  collect them at end ofschool.  That only worked for a short while because the  numbers were soon so huge that storage was impossible (2,000 pupil school) and it became a logistical nightmare.

I firmly hope that all support will be given to schools as they try to implement this move- but they'll need legal support, I think.

[mushroom25]

a friend who was a teacher had a unique way of making pupils keep their phones in their bags - he told them that if he saw a phone, he would hand it to "Mr Enderby". Mr Enderby was a colleague who was an inverterate tinkerer. as in the case of one exchange:-

Teacher: you were warned - that phone will now be going to Mr Enderby

Pupil: But sirrrrr - he'll knacker it!

Teacher: you were warned......

[ToraToraTora]

err you mean they are not already banned? amazing! Who'd be a Jack Reacher these days?

[nailedit]

If mobiles can get smuggled into prison, it shouldnt be to difficult to get them into a school.

Why not just let the kids have them as long as they are switched of during lessons.

[calmck]

If each class had a form teacher they could be handed in at attendance and collected after school. Might cut down on bullying too

[ToraToraTora]

all you do is get a log chipper at the gate, any phones go in it. It'll only be needed for a few days.

[ichkeria]

It would be a such stupid idea. 
A headline grabber.

As far as I can see from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mobile-phone-use-to-be-banned-in-schools-in-england

it's just guidance despite the tabloid-like misleading header 

[puzzled54]

The families of the children locked in classrooms at Tewkesbury while there was a pupil with a knife, were very relieved that their teachers let them use their mobile phones to send messages out to let them know the situation 

[youngmafbog]

Puzzled that is a very rare situation and one should not base day to day on the minority.

Ick, you think kids should be using their mobiles during lessons or are you just peeved becasue a Tory said it?

As said, it's a start but it will need to go further.  But before legislation it needs to be trialled a a guidance first.

[naomi24]

At out local school phones are handed in to the office every morning and collected each evening.  The kids then have their phones when they are out of school and might need them.  It works.

[youngmafbog]

But as jourdain points out on the the first answer with 2K+ pupils this can become a logistcal nightmare.  And what if a £1K iphone gets 'lost' or damaged?

[theshedman]

Part of the problem will be that the pupils say they use them as calculators for maths etc.  Then they also go on and use them for messaging and other stuff.  Mobiles have they uses but they do cause many problems.

[Barsel]

I agree with naildit //Why not just let the kids have them as long as they are switched of during lessons.//

Every morning the children should be reminded to turn their phones off and if one is heard ringing it will be confiscated for the rest of the day.

Seems simple enough to me.

[Gromit]

Why just schools?

They are anti social and should be banned from all public buildings, supermarkets, pubs and restaurants, public transport and while walking.

[youngmafbog]

Here, Here Gromit.

[retrocop]

Yes Gromit we can all goback to smoke signals. That will please Greta.

[theshedman]

retrocop, at least smoke signals were quiet.

[retrocop]

Lol. Not when the greens see them popping up all over the prairies.

[vulcan42]

They are occasionally necessary but most calls are trivial.

Heard just yesterday in my local town.

" I'll ring you tonight, my laces are too tight".

I looked down, she was wearing shoes without laces.

[zebo]

//If each class had a form teacher they could be handed in at attendance and collected after school. Might cut down on bullying too//

 

But where will the Form Teacher keep them?  Many schools already have rules regarding phones, they are not allowed to be used on the school premises, the problem is with enforcing it. Parents often think that 'Discipline is what other people's children need' and are not supportive of the schools yet expect the school to pay up if their dear's phone is lost/stolen/damaged.  The rule should be, as well as not using them, if they are in school they are 100% the child's responsibility, the same rule should also apply to other non-essential items eg expensive jewellry.