Curb on mobile phones in schools ramps up as latest council introduces restrictions
Six local authority now taking steps to address issue
One of Scotland’s smallest local authorities has become the latest to introduce restrictions on the use of mobile phones in schools, with an outright ban for all primary pupils.
The new policy introduced by Orkney Islands Council means that primary aged children will not be able to access their devices at any point of the school day, even at breaks and lunch, with the majority of secondary school pupils also prevented from using phones during or between classes.
It comes after an overwhelming majority of teaching staff and families of secondary school pupils on the archipelago said bullying was made more likely by the presence of personal devices on school estates.
Orkney is the third Scottish council to draw up new school-focused mobile phone policies in the space of just two months amid a growing determination by authorities to address the issue. At least six councils have now taken steps to curb the use of devices across their schools.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has vowed to ban mobile phones in classrooms if he is elected first minister this year, warning that the devices are having a “catastrophic” impact on young people.
The Scottish government has issued guidance to schools which backs headteachers to introduce bans if they see fit, a part of efforts to crack down on distractions and bullying.
Under the new Orkney Islands Council policy, approved by its education, communities and housing committee on Wednesday, individual schools will be able to make the decision whether, and under what terms, S1 to S4 pupils might have access to their phones during breaks and lunchtimes.
Similarly, schools will be able to decide if a “different level of restrictions” is more suitable for those S5 and S6 pupils who “demonstrate the ability to use personal devices responsibly.”
The council also suggests that secondary schools should develop a contract for pupils and their parents or guardians to sign at the start of each school year, ensuring that they follow the mobile policy. If a pupil is found to be violating it persistently, the report explains, the school may ask for the device to be handed over to staff.
Addressing the meeting, one councillor, Graham Bevan, said the policy was the result of “significant, deep thought” about how best to deal with the problems associated with mobiles in schools.
“There’s never going to be a perfect way forward because at the end of the day, this is all about digital literacy - that’s in the policy - and it needs to come as quickly as possible,” he said. “We mustn’t absolve our responsibilities to educate young people to use devices responsibly, and it’s about being kind to each other - that’s the bit that’s causing the biggest grief in terms of social responsibility.”
Out of 1,260 responses to a council consultation on the use of personal devices in schools, a majority of secondary pupils (64 per cent) said they felt safer while having a device with them while travelling to and from school. However, an even greater proportion of pupils (80 per cent) said they had a positive experience while taking part in phone-free residential trips.
Another councillor, John Ross Scott, pushed for a blanket ban across all of Orkney’s schools two years ago, but said he now saw “real logic” in allowing S5 and S6 pupils approaching adulthood to be exempt from some of the policy.
“Primary schools implementing the policy shouldn’t really be scared of doing so,” he said. “I spoke to a Westray Junior High teacher who said a strict ban that has been brought in has been bliss for teaching staff and well received by all concerned - so I think maybe our worries might be allayed by that.
“Teachers, parents and pupils have approached me in recent months in support of the restrictions, and while I don’t think the report goes far enough, it takes a huge step forward and should make all schools more learning focused and safe, and hopefully it will also give young people a safe space to talk to each other face to face, rather than on devices.”
The council leader, Heather Woodbridge, told the meeting that the issue of “consistency” was an important right to raise, given schools would at the “coal face” managing the policy, with consideration also due those pupils travelling from outlying islands.
“Junior high schools and secondary schools have a lot of different kinds of pupils attending,” she explained. “Some are staying overnight away from their home, and there has to be an ability for that school to have a tailored policy for students who may have travel challenges, or maybe to have some different arrangement with personal devices - that might not be within breaks or classes at all, but there might need to be some provision.”
Last April, Perth and Kinross Council became the first local authority in Scotland to approve a blanket ban on mobiles in classrooms, unless explicitly permitted by teachers for educational purposes.
The following month, Moray Council announced a ban on mobiles and personal devices across all of its primary schools, with secondary pupils required to keep their phones switched off and out of sight during the school day.
In Edinburgh, where the local authority has already carried out a pilot requiring pupils at two secondaries - Portobello and Queensferry - to place their phones in lockable pouches during the school day, work is underway to consider more sweeping restrictions.
Meanwhile, councillors in East Renfrewshire agreed in December to bring in a “mandatory baseline policy,” with a working group set up to develop the proposals, which include a complete ban in all primary settings, and conditional use only in secondary schools.
In Inverclyde, a similar approach is being considered, with an outright ban on devices in primary schools and early years establishments.
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