Dear Parents & Carers
New DfE Guidance on Mobile Phones
The Department of Education has published clarity on the use of mobile phones in schools. The message is as follows:
‘All schools should be phone-free environments for the entire school day. That includes lessons, time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime. It means, for example, it is not appropriate for phones to be used as calculators, or for research during lessons.’
Heads of Year have been asked to share the information on mobile phones with students today and form tutors have been asked to clarify this in form time.
Students who use mobile phones for medical reasons approved by a medical practitioner e.g. the monitoring of diabetes will still be allowed to use them. This is an exception.
It is clear that there must be no use of phones in schools at any time during the school day. Phones are not allowed out at the end of the school day before leaving the school building. Students must be outside the green gates / student services before phones are allowed.
Any phone seen, will be confiscated by staff and given to the pastoral team. Staff will issue ClassCharts points and a detention. Refusal to hand over a mobile phone will be dealt with as defiance.
In order to support students in school, please would parents/ carers phone student services if they need to pass urgent messages to students. Please refrain from contacting your child by text message/phone during the school day.
It is essential that the school enforces clear boundaries, in line with national expectations, applied with consistency and fairness to give pupils the best chance to learn and thrive. I look forward to working with you to ensure that technology supports students’ education and wellbeing, rather than distracting from it.
Yours sincerely
Mrs M. Henshaw
Headteacher