Nearly 20% of secondary school teachers have shared that their schools either collect mobile phones from students at the beginning of the day or require them to be stored in special pouches. As students return to school for the new academic year, recent polling sheds light on schools’ approaches to mobile phone use. A small percentage of teachers revealed that mobile phones are completely banned on school premises, while the majority stated that students are not allowed to use mobile phones at all during the school day.
The call for a statutory ban on smartphones in schools was made by Esther Ghey, the mother of Brianna Ghey, a murdered teenager. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Sir Martyn Oliver from Ofsted have also expressed their concerns about smartphones in schools. A survey conducted by TeacherTapp among nearly 6,000 secondary teachers in England revealed various policies regarding student mobile phone usage.
Mark Lehain, the executive headteacher at Wootton Academy Trust, outlined the school’s measures to address the issue of mobile phones. The school has implemented stricter sanctions for students who violate phone rules while considering a new policy that may involve storing phones in pouches or boxes. Lehain emphasized the negative impact of mobile phones on students’ learning and safety, highlighting the need to limit phone usage during the school day.
The school is planning to transition to a phone-free environment to enhance student safety and reduce distractions. National Education Union General Secretary Daniel Kebede emphasized the importance of clear school policies to minimize screen time and enhance student engagement with learning. Banning phones in schools is seen as a positive step, although challenges remain as many issues originate from online content accessed outside of school hours.