Edinburgh ban on mobile phones in schools: Amendments propose more freedom for older pupils

Senior pupils in Edinburgh could be given more freedom to use mobile phones at school if amendments to the proposed smartphone ban tabled for Tuesday's education committee are agreed.

It looks as if the committee will back plans for an all-day ban on smartphones in all the city's high schools, requiring pupils to place them in lockable pouches at the start of the school day and not having access to them until they are going home, except for those with medical or other exemptions.

Pupils will have to put their phones in lockable pouches and won’t have access to them until they’re going home | Lisa Ferguson / The Scotsman

The SNP and the Lib Dems confirmed they would vote with Labour on having a "bell to bell" ban and pouches in every high school.

But two amendments tabled on Monday would allow more flexibility for older pupils.

The SNP want senior leadership teams in individual high schools to have the right to "develop their own school policy regarding senior phase (S5-S6) pupils’ access to their mobile phones during break, lunchtime and independent study time".

And the Greens propose simply that "schools should be able to grant exemption from mobile phone restrictions for sixth-year students".

SNP education spokesman Euan Hyslop said: "In the senior phase of high school, quite often young people are afforded a different level of independence. And often we refer to schools to come up with their own policies that meet the needs of the young people in their school community.

Pupils queue up to lock and unlock their phone pouches during the trial which took place at Portobello and Queensferry High Schools | Lisa Ferguson / The Scotsman

"So we're saying that, in response to some of the consultation responses from that cohort of young people, the fact that they're young adults, the fact every school will be different in some ways, we should make sure senior leadership teams within the schools have the freedom to create different policies for 16 and 17-year-olds when it comes to access outside of class times.

"The young people have said that during independent study they use their phones for study and research purposes, so I think we need to listen to that.

"In class we're still of the view there should be a blanket an for every year group. It's a small thing to say that for those young people in the senior phase of high school, maybe individual schools might want to create a different policy outside of class."

But he said senior management teams in schools might not be comfortable making different policies for different age groups. "Or they might feel, in relation to the safeguarding concerns raised during this whole discussion, there's no way round that if you were to give senior pupils their phones, so that needs to be taken into consideration too.

"My view is we should be trusting our professionals in schools, with their knowledge of their own school community and the challenges the school community faces."

Greeen education spokesman Steve Burgess said sixth year pupils were adults. "They could have left school, but they've chosen to stay for an extra year. They could be in employment or college or training.

"We just feel they should be trusted to use mobile phones sensibly at that age. To have a restriction for them doesn't seem appropriate."

And he added: "They also do a lot of self-directed learning in sixth year - a lot of study time, a lot of coming and going from school. We just felt they shouldn't be under the same restriction as younger pupils."

Labour education convener James Dalgleish welcomed the support from other parties for an all-day ban and for pouches in all schools. And he said he would be having talks on the call for a more relaxed regime for senior pupils.

But he indicated he would prefer to see the ban introduced without further amendments and leave such matters for discussion later. He said: "It's about getting this milestone policy over the line, without getting too caught up on every single detail."

Cllr Dalgleish said it would just be nine months from the introduction of the ban in August to the review of the policy in June next year.

"So I would say, let's get the overall policy right, let's get it agreed in the simplest and most straightforward way - and then if we needed to review it in terms of giving a bit more freedom or allowing young people in S5 and S6 to use their mobile phones, then that's a conversation I'm open to.

"But for me, it's about what makes the most impact as quickly as possible because we're talking about the welfare of young people."

Stay in the know when it comes to the latest news from Edinburgh and the Lothians with our daily newsletter. Sign up for free today!