Debate about access to mobile phones in schools has become another of the somewhat divisive and polarised topics in education (see my piece last year on national discourse related to behaviour in schools).
It could therefore have been very tempting for education secretary Jenny Gilruth to talk tough on mobile phones and see a national ban - or a push for local bans - as an eye-catching position. It is pleasing, then, to see a more sensible approach in national mobile-phone guidance published yesterday, even if good sense and moderation is less likely to generate many headlines.
Across the UK, a number of schools have introduced various tough-sounding restrictions, echoing a media love-in of such “bans”. UK government guidance encourages schools to restrict access and recent research highlights a correlation between “bans” and school attainment. However, correlation is not causation, and there are good reasons for schools to consider all the benefits and drawbacks of restricting access to devices.
Nuanced and balanced analysis
This blog by the Behaviour Insight Team (BIT) provides a more balanced analysis of the current landscape than less nuanced reporting. BIT highlights that many schools with so-called “bans” have inconsistent application and just as many problems with mobiles as other schools.
In our setting, we have acknowledged the potential benefits of devices to aid learning, in line with research from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development suggesting that moderate device use for learning actually increases scores. A moderate approach, allowing learners to manage their use, has potential benefits.
Helping organise the school day
Devices can also help to organise and operate the school day: pre-ordering lunch, signing up for clubs and activities, registering achievements for school colours, logging a request to speak with pastoral staff, to name just a few. Without school provision of devices, some level of “bring your own device” is close to essential.
Like many schools, our teachers have reported increasing distraction from mobile devices in recent years. At the start of 2023-24 we therefore introduced very clear protocols on access to devices, with straightforward, immediate and predictable consequences. What matters is absolute consistency of application across the school.
Many schools in Scotland have, like us, consulted their community and developed bespoke local solutions. The new national guidance is therefore of interest to many.
The guidance is a sensible, useful and practical tool for schools and local authorities to develop their own policies. Consultation and clarity seem to be the order of the day, with a focus on very clear expectations and buy-in across each school community.
‘Little appetite’ for national ban
The guidance acknowledges the potential for both gain and harm from mobile devices in schools. However, it falls short of acknowledging the considerable disparity as a result of free devices not being rolled out across the country as planned.
This - alongside various legal issues - means there is little appetite for a national ban. Instead, purposeful decisions on any access restrictions and clear expectations for use should be adopted locally.
So what does the guidance suggest schools should do? Policies at a local level should cover three main areas:
- Digital etiquette - the standards of conduct expected.
- Digital rights and responsibilities - what individuals can and cannot do.
- Safe and secure use - the precautions that can be taken to ensure personal safety.
Schools are encouraged to ensure sufficient coverage of these issues within the curriculum, as well as the sharing of agreed expectations and clarity on consequences.
The guidance provides an excellent starting point for school leaders looking to engage their school community in developing local policies. It also provides some helpful links, templates and information on legal issues to help schools tackle some of the undoubted challenges.
Overall, the guidance demonstrates the benefit of serious thought and collaboration on thorny issues. A range of partners have been involved and the outcome is more than warm words. It acknowledges potential benefits of mobile technology to aid the learning environment and acknowledges practical hindrances to a national ban.
Help for schools’ phone policies
It also provides a useful structure to help inform local mobile phone policies at school or authority level, while striking an important balance: clarity, consistency and boundaries are as important as relationships, shared ownership and learning.
My hope is that this approach - collaboration leading to a sensible plan - can now be taken to more weighty aspects of the educational landscape in Scotland. We have invested time, energy and considerable discussion to produce a range of national reviews and reports.
There is an appetite for reform of Scottish education - and collaboration on sensible implementation approaches would provide much-needed direction on what lies ahead.
Stuart Clark is a secondary headteacher in East Renfrewshire, and was previously a head in Inverclyde. He is writing in a personal capacity and tweets @MearnsCastleHT
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