Ban on mobile phones in schools makes sense across the board - Steve Cardownie

As far as I am concerned, not a moment too soon. There has already been a successful pilot scheme running at Queensferry and Portobello High Schools where pupils are required to secure their phones in locked pouches and can only access them as they leave school at the end of the day.

Not only will a ban mean that pupils and teachers can devote more of their time learning and teaching without interruption, it should also demonstrate an upturn in attainment levels in the not too distant future.

The school environment will undoubtedly be improved and this will be welcomed by parents of pupils who are being or have been bullied at school.

Studies and reports suggest banning mobile phones in schools often leads to a decrease in bullying with improved focus, many disagreements do not escalate into filmed incidents.

Teachers have reported that arguments don’t escalate as much and filming fights, which is a common bullying tactic, decreases significantly.

The Scottish Government noted that in 2021/2 over 30 per cent of P5-S3 pupils reported that they had been bullied with 82 per cent of that happening while at school.

There is a growing trend of online bullying which can have disastrous consequences. Malicious comments, compromising photos and videos are now commonplace tools that are used by bullies to intimidate their victims with girls and children with disabilities being most vulnerable.

Parents should read the schools’ anti-bullying policy which can usually be found online and incidents should be brought to the attention of the Headteacher or Guidance teacher who should then introduce an action plan.