How do we balance mobile phone use with focused and safe learning classrooms in schools?
The Department for Education have published further guidance for schools on prohibiting the use of mobile phones throughout the school day …
A new framework is laid out for schools to develop, communicate, and enforce policies on the use of mobile phones.
Distraction and bully-free learning
Published by the Department for Education, Mobile Phones in Schools: Guidance for Prohibiting the Use of Mobile Phones Throughout the School Day.
The guidance – not policy – highlights the crucial role of distraction-free learning in classrooms, helping ALL students to concentrate and our teachers to teach without disruption.
The paper outlines the significant impact of mobile phones on students’ focus and lesson disruption – a staggering 97% of students (aged 12) own a mobile phone!
There is a nod to parents to the implications on student well-being, sanctions and school policies in a range of settings.
Schools are encouraged to establish clear, consistent, and contextually appropriate policies that reflect their unique environments. The guidance suggests various approaches to creating a mobile phone-free zone, ranging from outright bans to secure storage solutions during school hours.
The guidance also addresses the legal aspects of enforcing mobile phone policies and acknowledges the need for flexibility and reasonable adjustments in certain cases, such as for students with medical conditions.
