Banning phones in class will give pupils ‘ANXIETY’: Teaching union rails against Gavin Williamson’s bid to make schools ‘mobile-free’ zones

• Education Secretary said in June he wanted to bring in ban on phones in schools 
• Association of School and College Leaders said this could trigger bad behaviour 
• Mr Williamson has branded phones in classrooms ‘distracting’ and ‘damaging’

Banning phones in class will make pupils anxious and lead to them behaving badly, a teaching union warned today as it criticised Gavin Williamson’s bid to make schools ‘mobile-free’ zones.

The Education Secretary announced in June that he wanted to bring in a ban on phones in schools and launched a consultation on the plans, which could see pupils asked to leave their devices in lockers at the start of the day.

In response, the Association of School and College Leaders (ACSL) accused Mr Williamson of becoming obsessed about phones and suggested restrictions would ‘trigger poor behaviour’ among pupils.

Gavin Williamson announced in June that he wanted to bring in a ban on phones in schools and launched a consultation on the plans

Director of Policy Julie McCulloch said: ‘School and college leaders are slightly mystified about the education secretary’s fixation with banning mobile phones in classrooms because they have been dealing with the practicalities of this issue for many years now.’

She added: ‘Our view remains that schools and colleges already have strong tried-and-tested policies and they are best placed to make their own decisions.’

Mr Williamson has called phones in the classroom as ‘distracting’ and ‘damaging’.

He said: ‘I want to put an end to this, making the school day mobile-free. In order for us to help pupils overcome the challenges from the pandemic and level up opportunities for all young people, we need to ensure they can benefit from calm classrooms which support them to thrive.’

The ACSL has also pointed out the practical impacts of a ban, including young carers being unable to support their parents and pupils with special needs using them as a support tool in class, such as by taking photos of lesson instructions.

The move could come into effect as early as the New Year or after the Easter holidays to help create ‘calm classrooms’. Mr Williamson believes the handsets can be distracting and potentially ‘damaging’ when misused.

It comes amid growing concerns that pupils are using phones to bully each other on social media or for sexual harassment.

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has supported the plan.

She told the i newspaper: ‘The new move is helpful. I think it’s generally a positive thing, it’s something lots of us have been doing for a while and I think there is a general groundswell of support for it.

‘If you look at France, they’ve had a mobile ban in place for three years and I think it’s gone very well. It’s a bit of a non-issue and I’m pretty sure that’s how it will be for here.’

The Association of School and College Leaders (ACSL) accused Mr Williamson of becoming obsessed about phones and suggested restrictions would ‘trigger poor behaviour’ among pupils

She said that any ban in England would likely be along the same lines, with ‘Wi-Fi connectable smartphones to be left at home, or not used or taken out of the bag during school hours’.

Dame Rachel suggested that parents might want to buy children an old-fashioned ‘brick phone’ instead of smartphones in future.

Banning phones in school would also ‘take away the pressure a bit from parents, with younger and younger children having to be bought these handsets that are not cheap’, she added.

Some headteachers have objected to Mr Williamson’s position as an infringement of their autonomy, while others have argued there is a role for phones in schools to enable staff to teach young people how to use them responsibly.

A DfE spokesman said: ‘Mobile phones can be distracting if used in the classroom, but when misused or overused, they can have a damaging effect on a pupil’s mental health and wellbeing.

‘Looking at how schools and colleges are making the day mobile-free is just one part of our behaviour call for evidence, which asked teachers and school leaders about a range of ways to help students focus on their education and create calmer schools – which is especially important due to the impact of the pandemic.’ 

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