Pupils reacted to mobile phones being banned in school classrooms

The Scottish Government has issued new guidance which offers headteachers new powers to prohibit devices in schools.

We visited Stonelaw High School in Rutherglen to ask students what they thought about the move.

(Image: Newsquest)

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Unlike other some schools which have a strict no phones allowed at all policy, they are allowed access at breaks.

If their phones go off in class or they are caught looking at them they must drop it in a box in the classroom and will have a text message sent to their parents.

When our reporter spoke to the youngsters, many seemed to be in huge support of the ban as they are desperately trying to cut their usage down.

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(Image: Newsquest)

(Image: Newsquest)

Alfie Beacham, 14, said: “I think it is a good policy because we looked at our screen time recently and for myself I found it shocking. Sometimes I can be on my phone for seven hours and I don’t want that.

“Sometimes I can be up until 2 in the morning on it. I hope this will cut my screen time down.

“I can be guilty of looking at my phone in class, I won’t deny that. It is just the constant notifications you don’t want to miss out so you check it.

“If everyone's phones away you don’t have that though and you won’t be distracted and can engage in learning.”

Sukhmani Bhatia, 14, said: “I was shocked when I saw my screen time, I did not expect it at all. I had about five hours a day. The policy will help cut it down.

“During covid having your phone was the only way to contact your friends. Family, or even the school to do your work.

“The internet and phones were literally everything. We found out that 55% of pupils can get 50 notifications in one period here. I support the new policy.”

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Naima Goswami, 13, said: “Our school did the most fair thing, instead of banning phones they gave us the privilege to have them at break and lunch.

“During covid it was the only way of communication.

“Then we got back to school and had to put our phone away, but we had got used to being on it the whole time.

“We learned that pupils here pick up their phones up to 75 times a day or more. I would like to cut down my screen time.”

(Image: Newsquest)

Eilidh Connor, 15, said: “If they fully banned them I would feel scared, when you are at school for that six hour period you don’t have any communication with your parents if anything bad happens.

“Our school has met us in the middle and if we take it out we need to put our phone in the box, you can still see it though and get it back at the end of the lesson.”

India Tomes, 15, said: “I think it is important that phones aren’t fully banned, they are what we have grown up with and how we communicate with each other.

“I think Stonelaw has found a good middle ground between compromising with the children and what they want us to achieve in school.”

Jennifer M. Gilruth, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skill, said: ““We know that mobile phone use means you are not concentrating, paying attention, or listening, so how can you be engaged in your learning?

“We had a really challenging set of exam results last week, I need to be cognisant about that.

“What can I do as Education Secretary to help maintain consistent and safe learning environments? That is what this is about.

“Improving behaviour and attainment while supporting Scotland’s teachers to get on with their jobs.

“I do think post pandemic mobile phone use in schools has been really detrimental to behaviour, and we know it is having adverse impacts on attention span.

“When pupils spoke to me about this new guidance they seemed reassured by it, it was almost a relief.”

Vicki Rice, Acting Headteacher at Stonelaw High School, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to our school.

"The Cabinet Secretary took part in discussion groups with our staff and pupils who were given a valuable opportunity to talk with her about these important issues as part of their work and study on personal and social education.”