Should mobile phones be banned in the classroom? Your views as Gavin Williamson pushes for stricter rules

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson revealed that banning mobile phones in schools was a key part of his plans to restore pupils’ discipline as he announced the push for stricter rules this week.

A year spent in lockdown has had an impact on children’s “dispicline and order”, Mr Williamson added, prompting the plans to combat “out-of-control” behaviour in learning environments.

Here is what you said on our social media pages:

Connie Foster: “Ban them in the classroom during lessons, definitely, with the caveat that if somebody needs some sort of background noise with headphones or needs it for an emergency, that’s allowed.

“Ban them completely from school grounds? No. Kids need them for getting to and from school these days, so parents can get in touch.”

Ashley J. Wilson: “They're a total distraction from education, and have no place in a modern classroom.”

Anna-Louise Lambie: “Work on getting your teachers protected, your children supported, counsellors in schools and the pressure on the entire system relieved, then move on to mobiles.”

Related content: Mobile phones to be banned in schools - as part of government drive against ‘out-of-control behaviour’

Nikki Paxon: “The amount of problems they cause is scary, they don’t use them for education while in school so they aren’t needed.”

Gemma Louise Thompson: “I think children should be allowed to take them to school to use on a break and dinner time but they should be turned off in lessons.”

Sharon Houghton: “No. It’s 2021 not 1921.”

Norman W Winter: “Yes if it benefits education and avoids distraction.”

Peter Ball: “As a college lecturer, even though there is a no phone policy in place, we still spend a lot of time having to tell students to put them away.

"Whilst I agree that for contact reasons to and from home they can be important. They should be surrendered when entering a class and collected at the end of the session.

"Only to be allowed to keep them under exceptional circumstances.”

Louise Angel Mackay: “No I do not agree. Makes no sense, push for more tech jobs, yet don’t like technology. Get with the times or get left behind.

“Surely all the learning done online over the past two school years, proves tech can be a force for good.”

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