Why do we have to ‘ban’ mobile phones in schools? It should not really be necessary - Cameron Wyllie

I’m no in no doubt that we need to stop young people from looking at their phones during lessons. I’m equally sure that phones are useful communication tools for both young people and their parents or carers at the start and the end of the school day. For girls, in particular, the mobile phone is an important safety device. They can’t just leave them at home. Otherwise, how does Tommy’s mother know he’s left his PE kit at home and that she needs to bring it to the school office. Tommy is 17.

Of course, the City of Edinburgh ban will only apply to the 75 per cent or so of school pupils in Edinburgh who attend City of Edinburgh schools. This city has, of course, an astonishing high number of young people attending independent schools, certainly the highest proportion in the UK, and who knows, maybe in the world. It used to be the case when I started teaching at a private school a long time ago that teachers in state and independent schools went to the same in-service sessions and mingled freely talking about their professional practice, often very usefully. That stopped decades ago as the political walls between the sectors grew higher and higher, walls which has nothing to do, in truth, with teaching or children, and lots to do with petty vindictiveness and misinformed politicians peddling in ignorant soundbites.

Now I might be wrong but I don’t think independent schools in the city will be following the Council’s lead. In other words, young people presenting at such schools in their uniforms every morning will not be expected to put their phones in the magic magnetic bag for the day. They will simply be told to switch their phones off at the start of lessons and switch them on again when the school day is over. And 98 per cent of them will do it 98 per cent of the time. And the reason they will do it is threefold: firstly, because they will understand that the rules in place in schools are there for their own good; secondly, because they trust their teachers to act in their interests and thirdly – and, yes, let’s be honest, most importantly – because sanctions will be in place to deal with them if they don’t obey, disciplinary sanctions which will – hopefully – be applied consistently across the school by all staff.

So, for example, let’s assume that Tommy leaves his phone on and it goes off in class; or Samantha looks at her social media rather than her French vocabulary; or Ahmed wants to see the football results. And let’s assume for the moment that the classroom in which this happens is a calm place of learning and that thus the teacher observes this misdemeanour. Well it doesn’t really matter what the disciplinary actions (or, as we used to call them, punishments) taken are – confiscation for a day or two, detention at lunchtime or the next day, some extra Maths problems – providing it gives Tommy and Samantha and Ahmed a reason not to do it again. Instead, T and S and A (oh I know you all) are patronised into submission – ‘put your phone in the wee bag and it’ll stop you being naughty!’

Here is the City of Edinburgh announcement: ‘A six-week citywide consultation [and how much did THAT cost?] on mobile phone restrictions earlier this year received almost 14,000 responses. Results were overwhelming [ly, presumably – maybe ask an English teacher?] in favour of a ban with 97 per cemt of secondary school staff and 94 per cent of parents/carers favouring a ban, and 53 per cent of young people supporting restrictions during teaching time’.

Not so ‘overwhelming’ from the kids themselves then along – one imagines – with say not doing your homework, attending school, spitting on your enemy, swearing at your teacher and running around the corridors rather than doing another Physics test. But hey, MOST young people – the huge majority – are there to learn, and if you asked them nicely, they would just put their phones off anyway. For the others, you need discipline. Obviously. I have to say this again – none of this is teachers’ fault. It’s the fault of decades of shoddy education policy in Scotland, a country in which teachers are five times more likely to be assaulted by pupils than in England, which has twice as many children with Additional Support needs as England, where school attendance is much worse and where, ironically, we have high rates of unhappiness among our schoolchildren.

So we spend all this money taking autonomy away from our young people yet again. One of the four foundations of ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ is that our young people should become ‘responsible citizens’ – how about letting them learn responsibility in our schools. ‘Educationalists’, teachers’ unions and the political class in Scotland should be hanging their heads in shame.