Mobile phone use to be banned in schools in England
The UK government has published guidance calling for a complete ban on the use of mobile phones in schools across the country, TASS reports
As noted in a press release from the UK Department for Education, the guidance on banning gadgets in English schools will be used by principals to minimise disruption and improve behaviour in classrooms.
In case of violation of the ban, pupils face being left after classes, as well as having their phones confiscated for a period that the head teacher deems necessary. Under the new rules, staff can search pupils’ backpacks and bags and have legal protection against lawsuits from parents for lost or damaged confiscated phones.
Schools are offered four different options, the guidance says. The first is a complete ban on the use of phones on the premises; they will have to be left at home. The second and third options include requiring pupils to hand in their phones to teachers before their first class, or asking them to keep them in lockers that they do not have access to during the school day. Alternatively, teachers are told they could enforce a ‘never used, seen or heard’ policy where pupils are allowed to keep their phones in their bags, but warned they will be confiscated if they are taken out.
