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National World - LocalTV
  • 26/02/2024
Mobile phones are set to be banned in schools across England to minimise classroom disruption.

Last week on February 19, new guidance was issued which backs headteachers in prohibiting the use of mobile phones during the academic day.

Schools around the country have already enforced rules and seen great success - this guidance is supposed to ensure a consistent approach nationwide.

We spoke to people in Manchester about their thoughts on banning mobile phones in schools.

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Transcript
00:00 Mobile phones are set to be banned in schools across England to minimise classroom disruption.
00:05 Last week on the 19th of February, new guidance was issued which backs headteachers in prohibiting
00:10 the use of mobile phones during the academic day.
00:14 Schools around the country have already enforced rules and seen great success, and this guidance
00:18 is supposed to ensure a consistent approach nationwide.
00:21 We spoke to people in Manchester about their thoughts on banning mobile phones in schools.
00:26 It probably could cause problems, yes. I think in the break time, I think it's OK if they
00:33 have the phone, but obviously during lessons, if they've got the phone on them, then it
00:37 could interrupt and make the teacher's life a bit harder and encourage negative behaviour.
00:43 And they could even be looking up answers on the phone or things like that. So it's
00:49 good for them to have a phone to go to and from school for security if they get lost
00:53 or something happens, and in the break time at lunch, but obviously not during lessons.
00:59 But then how do you control that?
01:01 I think when I was in school, I thought they shouldn't be, but now I think probably, yeah.
01:06 I think it just causes more hassle than it's worth. Yeah, I think they should be.
01:12 I think it's really, really complicated and I think we probably need to look at learning
01:18 more seriously and look at the future of learning and what we want people to learn if they can
01:23 use AI to write their essays. What actually do we need people to learn in schools? And
01:30 there needs to be a great big debate about that and then that will influence questions
01:34 on mobile phones.
01:36 I think mobile phones generally, in many schools, are already banned. I know in my son's school
01:43 that they can't have their phones out or switched on all day, so I don't think this is anything
01:49 new really.
01:50 It's just about giving guidelines to schools, isn't it, and making it look as if you are
01:56 taking action over something that may be a problem. But I think really, most schools
02:02 have got this in hand. I mean, maybe I'm naive, maybe it's just my son's school, but I know
02:07 many schools have already got guidelines around mobile phones because they obviously are distracting
02:13 in class.
02:14 I'm all for it, for the sake of the teachers. I understand how challenging that can be if
02:19 you're trying to control a group of kids and they're getting distracted. I think it could
02:24 bring issues with logistics of trying to contact your parents if you need to get picked up
02:28 after school or that kind of thing. So it's a tricky one, but I'm all for it.
02:38 I'm pretty against it. I don't think you should have your phones in school. I mean, when I
02:40 was in school, they had like blockers in our walls that you couldn't even use your cell
02:44 phones while you were in class. But it's just distracting. You don't need them. There's
02:49 no point.

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