Central Scotland and Lothians West MSP Jenny Young has welcomed the Scottish Government's new mobile phone guidance for schools, but insists that pupils and teachers needed this guidance sooner. The new guidance urges schools to ban phones during teaching time and encourages them to consider a whole school ban.
Exemptions and Consultation
The guidance emphasises that exemptions should still be possible for pupils with caring responsibilities or medical conditions. The Scottish Government will launch a consultation early in the new academic term on legislation to restrict the use of phones in all of Scotland's schools.
MSP's Criticism
Young, a former teacher of French and Spanish in West Lothian secondary schools, said the guidance “states the obvious” and insists action should have been taken earlier. She stated: “I welcome this step forward in making our classrooms free from mobile phones, but the reality is pupils and teachers needed action from the government sooner. The Scottish Government’s guidance states the obvious and just reiterates what many teachers, parents and young people have been saying for years. Less than a year ago the SNP Government claimed that a ban couldn’t be done but now it seems they’ve finally realised just how disruptive mobile phones are and that something must be done.”
Next Steps
The upcoming consultation must include the views of school staff, parents and pupils, and crucially, it must be done without piling more onto the ever-increasing workload of teachers, Young added.
