Should mobile phones be allowed in schools?

The results are in –  according to a recent survey conducted across pupils in a Year 8 tutor groups, 96.3 per cent of students think that mobile phones should be used in schools.

When asked to explain why, many said that they are great to use as they incorporate educational tools such as the calculator and browser functions.

If the teachers had overall control over how they were being used, they would be a great asset to our learning. Some pupils suggested that phones should be made available for use at break and lunch-times, to alleviate boredom and so pupils have an entertainment outlet during the wet weather.

In addition, some said that although the ban is put in place for bullying prevention reasons, mobile phones should be allowed to give students some recreational time. Most pupils in the tutor groups thought that our smartphones should be used at break and lunch, but not all the time in the lessons.

As well as interviewing the students I also spoke to the headteacher, Simon Harrison.

I asked him whether he thought there were any positives to using mobile phones in schools to which he replied: ‘I think that being able to use a mobile phone in lessons is great for educational purposes. However misuse of social media through mobile phones is a potential big issue.’

Ben Davies