Abbeywood Community School

Students bringing mobile phones to school – Expectations

  • The school will help children to learn about staying safe online, but recognises that the primary responsibility for online safety at home lies with parents/carers. The school will seek to work with families to help them to encourage children to adopt safe use of mobile technology.
  • Students should be reminded not to take photographs or videos of people without asking and never to take them on the way into or out of school. This is because some students are not allowed to have their picture taken for safeguarding reasons and also it is not kind or polite to do so.
  • All phones should be out of sight at all times during the school day.  Students not adhering to this will receive negative behaviour points and follow up consequences.
  • The school cannot accept responsibility for damage or loss of a mobile phone brought into school.
  • The school has the right to confiscate or search a mobile phone. In the unlikely event of needing to do this, we will endeavour to contact a parent or carer and it will be stored safely in reception until the end of the day (unless otherwise agreed). As part of this agreement, your child should agree to unlock the phone if required by a member of staff.
  • If a student has had more than one confiscation of their phone, a parent or carer will need to collect this from reception. 
  • Students who continually use their phone without permission during the school day will need to sign a temporary phone contract where their phone is handed in to reception (or alternative safe place as agreed) at the beginning of each day. 
  • Students can contact parents by asking at reception, or speaking to a member of the Pastoral Support Team, if they need to at break, lunch, before or after school. 

If you need support around social media use and helping your child stay safe online, please go to http://www.internetmatters.org/ which can give information, advice and also shows you how to use parental controls.