Government issues guidance that empowers teachers to impose a full ban on the usage of mobile phones on the school estate
Scottish Government issues its first guidance on the usage of mobile phones in Scottish classrooms- Headteachers empowered to limit the use of mobile phones in schools, up to and including a full ban on the school estate during the school day
- The EIS teaching union says the misuse of phones in schools is a “significant issue”
- Some Scottish schools have already implemented their own mobile phone policies
- In February, the UK Government issued guidance allowing headteachers to ban mobile phone use throughout the school day
By Bill Heaney
Scottish head teachers have been given new powers to ban pupils from using mobile phones at school.
Many have already implemented their own policies but the Scottish Government issued its first official guidance on the issue on Thursday morning.
Headteachers will be able to ban mobile phones in schools but a Scotland-wide ban on the devices in schools is “not considered to be appropriate or feasible”, according to the new guidance.
It comes just months after a survey by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association found 71% of members highlighted the misuse of mobile phones was having an impact on poor pupil behaviour and learning.
Education secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “The Scottish Government does not intend to dictate approaches to our headteachers – they know better than anyone the specific approach which will work best in their school.
“But we are making clear with this guidance that our headteachers are empowered to take action up to and including a whole school bans.”
She said that the move will help tackle the negative effects mobile phone use has on learning and teaching.
It means headteachers can take “the steps they see fit” to limit the use of phones in schools, up to and including a full ban on the school estate during the school day.
In February, the UK Government issued guidance allowing headteachers to ban mobile phone use throughout the school day, including at breaktimes, in England.
In Scotland, the Glasgow Gaelic school has implemented a rule – supported by pupils – that means phones are not to be used during and between classes.
And Gordonstoun, one of the independent schools in Moray, restricted phone use back in 2017 to evenings only.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh City Council delayed a decision earlier this year on its approach to banning mobile phones in schools until the new Scottish Government guidance is published.
Several local schools had already introduced policies banning or restricting phone use, but Conservatives in the City Chambers argued without “strong council policy” many teachers would struggle to enforce rules.
A joint amendment agreed by the Labour administration, SNP, Greens and Lib Dems said the issue should go before the education committee once the guidance was published.
Anne Keenan, assistant secretary at the Educational Institute for Scotland (EIS), said the misuse of phones in schools is a “significant issue”.
She told STV News: “It’s being used in some instances to bully pupils and staff and that can have an impact – not only on teaching and learning – but also on the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
“Many schools across the country already have their own guidance in place and the EIS would expect, in the context of an empowered school, the approach that would be taken would be that schools, parents, teachers and pupils would all be involved in the development of policy – to agree what the appropriate use of mobile phones should be for their particular areas.
“What we are hoping for is that national guidance will support this local policy and ensure there are common principles that will underpin the approach they are undertaking and to support schools in implementing guidance.”
The Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR) from 2023 highlighted an increase in “the abusive use of mobile phones in schools” – with devices used to “bully or harass” pupils and staff, with incidents filmed and posted on social media platforms.
But the publication also set out “some benefits to pupils taking their mobile phones to school” – with the example given of youngsters being able to use them to order school meals.
And it stated: “In light of these factors, it is not considered to be appropriate or feasible to introduce a ban nationally on mobile phones in schools.
Jenny Gilruth, left, a former modern studies teacher, stressed she would “support any headteacher who decides to institute a ban on mobile phones in their school”.
But she insisted: “This decision is one which rests with Scotland’s headteachers, who know their pupils and their staff and who we trust to take the best decisions in the interests of their school communities.”
Gilruth, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, was told she must provide a statement to the Scottish Parliament after recess to address the Scottish Government’s ‘overdue and underwhelming’ report on behaviour in schools, Scottish Labour said.
They added that despite unions and teachers calling for months for new guidance on behaviour in schools – particularly regarding the use of mobile phones – the Scottish Government have only published their long overdue report today.
While elements of the report are to be welcomed, the report is silent on several vital issues such as resourcing for Scotland’s schools in face of teacher cuts and help for pupils.
With behavioural issues in school being widely reported in the media – including violent incidents in schools – Scottish Labour has said that any action that the government wishes to take on the matter must be scrutinised by parliament.
Scottish Labour education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy, right, said: “Behavioural issues in Scotland’s schools have been boiling over the last year, with teachers, parents and pupils crying out for action.
“While this report is to be welcomed, it is long overdue and people could be forgiven for wondering why it took so long to publish something that leaves so much unanswered.
“Despite welcome attention to certain issues facing teachers and school staff, this report has nothing at all to say about new resources for teachers amid deep cuts and is thin on details.
“Such a vital issue as this deserves a robust and detailed plan so that the right decisions can be taken in the interests of pupils, teachers and school staff. But so much is left unanswered.
“When parliament returns, the Cabinet Secretary must deliver a statement to the parliament on the plans as a matter of urgency so that we have an opportunity to get the answers schools need.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP, left, said: “The evidence shows that mobile phones can have a very negative impact on learning and behaviour, so this guidance is a step in the right direction.
“However, it is no silver bullet as deteriorating behaviour in schools is part of a much wider problem.
“Ministers need to finally deliver for school staff by giving them the resources they need to address poor behaviour and boost performance. This should include improving provision for pupils with additional support needs and easing the often unmanageable workloads of teachers.”