Scottish council first to completely ban phones during lessons    

Perth and Kinross Council has introduced a blanket ban on the use of mobile phones in classrooms.

From August, students in the region will be “strictly prohibited” from using phones during lessons, unless explicitly permitted by their teachers for educational purposes.

The council’s Learning and Families Committee approved the policy last week, with an update on its effectiveness to be provided within the next two years.

The ban will be in place until 2028, in a bid to protect staff and children from “the consequences of inappropriate use or abuse” of digital devices, the council has said.

Under the new measures, the school office will be the “primary means of contact” between the students and their parents in the event of an emergency.

Phones will also not be allowed in examination rooms unless required for the exam and approved by the school SQA coordinator.

Councillor John Rebbeck, convener of the committee, said: "This policy will allow our school leaders to work with their individual communities to ensure that everyone is clear on if, when and how mobile technology can be used.

"Safeguarding the wellbeing of our children and young people is our priority and this policy provides a framework to support the development of responsible citizens, recognising and respecting children and young people's rights, and will support the development of positive relationships and behaviour.

"We can't uninvent mobile phones, but it is important we set boundaries for behaviour during class.”

The policy was unanimously approved by all members of the committee.

The policy comes off the back of Scottish Government guidance on the use of phones in schools. The guidance, published last August, empowers headteachers to limit the use of phones as they “know better than anyone the specific approach which will work best in their school”.

However, the government’s decision to not introduce a blanket ban came under fire from high-profile figures. Anne Keenan, assistant secretary at the Educational Institute of Scotland, told Holyrood the rise of phone use in schools is linked to “a paucity of resources and a lack of investment in the infrastructure in schools.”

She added: “They really shouldn't be in that position. The only time that we should be seeing mobile phone use in schools would be where it's underpinned by a strong educational rationale.”