Ban mobiles from schools : Ofsted chief : About Time
 

They do not need them in the Class - Utter Fact
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...82_634x417.jpg

"Ban mobiles from schools: New Ofsted chief gets tough over classroom discipline and schools could be penalised for failing to tackle disruption

Sir Michael Wilshaw says handsets can be used to access porn in lessons
Teachers could be marked down by inspectors if they don't enforce ban
Tough new inspection regime will also cover back-chatting and calling out"


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1uU7YPNeW

Mobile phones were banned at my school unless you had a good enough reason to hold onto it, like a parent in hospital or something.

Same here.

I thought that was the case everywhere already :S

could be marked down with OFSTED inspectors if they dont enforce it

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Well not likely The OFSTED inspections arent on the spot things, the school gets warnings about it. All they need to do is make sure none of the kids have a mobile THAT DAY.

Never understood announced inspections...surely they should be random so the school/workplace/whatever doesnt do anything different just because they know theres an inspection :joker:

At my workplace we know in advance that an inspection will take place. Then we make sure everything is done by the book. :)

Yeah people were banned from using them at mine too, although people brought them in anyway. In Sixth Form we were allowed to have them but I never bothered

Exactly.

I used to work at burger king a long time ago and they announced to us which days the mystery shoppers would be in. I understand the managers telling us this because if things went wrong they would be marked down too...but why were THEY told when it was going to happen if its meant to be for quality control :S

..they only get a few hours warning now and it is changing so that no warning will be given

Edit: oh and the reason they have any warning is because the schools are given a briefing of what the inspectors want to see..they have to structure their lessons accordingly..it isn't the school..it's OFSTED who only want to observe specific things

No its down to Each School.
And it needs a Solid Every School Policy Fast.

Good to see thats changed/changing. I remember having a warning a day or two before that everyone MUST come in their full uniforms(the majority of us wore tracksuit bottoms, and the teachers were usually fine with it) as the inspectors were in. We said even then that inspections were pointless if the school knows they are happening :joker:

There is NO reason for a child to need a mobile phone at school anyway. if there was some kind of family emergency, ring the reception at the school and they will get the message to your child.

..yes I understand what you're saying but a school inspection is slightly different because 'specific' things have to be observed so lessons need to be adapted for the inspection and often timetables have to be altered completely by the inspector's request...other than that..playtimes/lunchtimes etc are as normal

In that case its not really an inspection then. More of a...which school can follow our orders for this particular day better. :S

No **** off NOOO. Everyone's constantly on their phones at my school the whole school would die without it even the teachers sit there at lunch on it. It's awful but sorta funny.

..well some schools still fail inspections or have bad OFSTEDS even with notice..they are still observing the staff and their personal approach to the lesson and the children's responses which in a primary school would be accurate..they talk to the children too..in depth..and 5-9 year old are brutally honest

Haha too true.

I'm not knocking the schools here by the way, just the inspection system in general. I just dont think there should be set things to inspect...to the point where the teachers are told specific things to do that day..it should be about general day to day activities in the school.

..well if I'm honest I'm not a huge fan of OFSTEDS myself

They won't ever be able to get rid of them from schools. They're supposedly banned in my school and being caught with one results in exclusion, even if it's switched off (I know from experience), but in lower school I used to constantly text on my phone in class and play Angry Birds and crap if I was bored. I never got caught. :shrug:

"I'm not a huge fan of OFSTEDS myself "


Someone has got to do it.

They should be banned really, they are just a distraction.

At my school they used to confiscate mobile phones till the end of the lesson or even end of the day (depending on the teacher). At my college it is relaxed although they discorage using mobile phones in lessons, they allow you to take emergency calls in lesson (you go out the class for privacy). My Philosophy teacher is funny and if your phone goes of he will answer the call or read the text to teach them a lesson!

We're allowed to have them on us, just not allowed to bring them out lol.