Children’s Commissioner’s survey reveals most headteachers restrict mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phones are a known distraction for students, affecting their behaviour and engagement with learning. They are also a channel for harmful and inappropriate content, which can impact mental health and wellbeing.
The Children’s Commissioner conducted a survey of almost 19,000 of schools and colleges in England, with the results being published on 10th April. It revealed that 90% of secondary schools and 99.8% of primary schools have implemented policies to stop students and pupils from using their phones during the school day in a bid to keep them safe online and focused on learning.
The Department for Education’s non-statutory guidance includes three policies which researchers found being enacted in many of the schools they surveyed:
- not allowing phones on school grounds
- requiring children to hand them in or leave them in a secure location for the day
- requiring them to be kept out of sight.
Just under a quarter of primary schools (21%) have a total ban on phones in school, while just 3.5% of secondary schools do the same.
The issue of smartphones in school contributes to the wider online safety debate. Acknowledging this, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza commented:
Schools are just one part of the solution. Parents and carers need support to become more confident managing their children’s online activities and putting in age-appropriate boundaries – and above all, to talk and keep talking at home about what they see and how to respond.
Read more about the Children’s Commissioner’s School and College Survey here.
