Schools could ban mobile phones under new guidance

The Scottish government said it will support headteachers to introduce mobile phone bans

Headteachers will be given Scottish government backing to introduce mobile phone bans in schools.

Under new guidance, pupils could be required to hand over devices before classes or be banned from using them on school trips as part of efforts to crack down on disruptions such as distracting notifications or filming instances of bullying.

However, ministers said consideration should be given to pupils who have good reasons to have a phone. Examples would include if they are a carer, have medical conditions or have additional support needs.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said headteachers know their pupils and staff, and were trusted "to take the best decisions in the interests of their school communities".

She added: "We are making clear with this guidance that our headteachers are empowered to take action up to and including a whole school bans.

"This government supports Scotland’s schools in taking the necessary steps to tackle the negative effects associated with mobile phone use; to enhance outcomes for all of Scotland’s young people."

While some schools already have their own mobile phone policies in place, this is the first official guidance from the Scottish government.

It says there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that "over-exposure" to mobile phone use can result in pupils experiencing limited concentration, unhappiness and isolation.

The guidance refers to a recent international study which showed about a third of pupils in Scottish classrooms admitted being distracted by phones in almost or every lesson.

While schools will have the power to create their own policies on mobile phone use, some may choose not to enforce an outright ban.

Pupils could be instructed to switch phones off and keep them in a bag during class times, for example.

The guidance also says that pupils could be told not to film classmates or staff unless they have their consent and special permission of school management.

There should also be clear procedures for removing and returning phones to pupils if they misuse them, as well as clear reporting protocols for misuse and support for anyone who is being harassed by phone.

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liam Kerr said the plan was "extremely belated" and that any ban would need to ensure that education did not suffer.

He said: "What Jenny Gilruth’s statement does not address is the difficulty they will have in doing so [banning phones], thanks to the SNP’s broken promise that they would provide a laptop or tablet to every school pupil in Scotland – a problem highlighted to the education secretary at a recent meeting with teachers."

The Scottish government has now issued guidance on mobile phones in schools, but it’s restating a position that’s been held for some time.

Back in December last year the education secretary told me that any headteacher who wanted to ban mobile phones in the classroom would have her full support in doing so.

Jenny Gilruth said that she trusted headteachers to make decisions in this area, and that she didn’t want to issue any “diktat.”

Back then Ms Gilruth said she hoped to "refresh" the guidance in order to clarify this.

That’s what today’s publication is about. And perhaps seeing that new government guidance in black and white will lead to more schools changing policy.

Violence action plan

The Scottish government has also now published an action plan on tackling violence and verbal abuse in schools.

Its first phase sets out how more guidance will be given to local authorities and schools on "whole-school approaches to relationships and behaviour".

It also says the government will provide clarity on the range of approaches and consequences that are available for misbehaviour, including exclusions.

The government said it will also support the effective recording and monitoring of inappropriate behaviour.

Teaching unions have recently claimed that violent incidents were being under reported, and that the use of school exclusions was "frowned upon".

The EIS Aberdeen survey from February said 42% of teachers reported violent behaviour taking place in their schools once a day.

More than a third (37%) said they had been physically assaulted by a pupil, and more than half felt their school did not have clear strategies in place to prevent violence.

The NASUWT teaching union said it was frustrated with the length of time taken to produce the action plan on pupil behaviour but welcomed the principle of serious consequences.

It also said it was disappointing the Scottish government had not committed any additional funding, time or resources for schools to implement the action plan.

On the new guidance on mobile phones, the union's national official for Scotland Mike Corbett said: “We know that mobile phones can be used as a tool to bully and harass fellow pupils and teachers, as well as distracting pupils from their learning.

"We therefore welcome the guidance from the Scottish government that school leaders can take steps to limit or ban the use of phones in their schools if they see fit. However, to be effective, addressing the use of mobile phones should form part of joined up whole-school strategies on managing pupil behaviour."

The EIS, Scotland's largest teaching union, agreed that the action plan on behaviour would not address violence in schools unless there was more funding.

On the mobile phones guidance, the union's general secretary Andrea Bradley said that schools, parents, teachers and pupils should be involved in developing policy.

She said: "The reality is that the use of personal mobile devices has increased due to the paucity of digital devices and lack of investment in the IT infrastructure of schools.

"Implementation of the national guidance should therefore be accompanied by investment of necessary resources to ensure that pupils who may not have access to Smart phones or data are not disadvantaged.”