Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said phones aren’t appropriate to be used as calculators or ‘for research’. It follows government guidance on phone use in schools
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has urged head teachers to ensure schools are phone-free.
She said phones are “not appropriate for phones to be used as calculators, or for research” both inside and outside of class time. Her letter to schools comes after the Government updated guidance on phone use in schools, insisting pupils should not have access to them.
“Schools should make sure those policies are applied consistently across classes and at all times and we want parents to back these policies too,” the letter said. Teachers have also been advised not to use their phones in front of pupils.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said it will also be taking immediate action on children’s social media use.
According to data supplied by the DSIT, 99.9% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools have mobile phone policies in place. But 58% of secondary school pupils reported mobile phones being used without permission in at least some lessons, rising to 65% for key stage four pupils.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, insisted that school leaders “need support from government, not the threat of heavy-handed inspection”.
Ministers are launching a consultation on implementing an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s in the UK. The consultation will look at options including raising the digital age of consent and restricting potentially addictive app design features such as “streaks” and “infinite scrolling”.
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