The Yorkshire Post says: Mobile menaces. Should schools ban phones?

EVEN though mobile phones are still a relatively new phenomenon, it seems scarcely believable that this country did manage to function before their invention. Now omnipresent, their convenience does, however, pose some challenges for contemporary society.
Culture Secretart Matt Hancock says pupils should be banned from using mobile phones at school.Culture Secretart Matt Hancock says pupils should be banned from using mobile phones at school.
Culture Secretart Matt Hancock says pupils should be banned from using mobile phones at school.

Culture Secretary Matt Hancock, one of a new generation of politicians who has used social media to raise their profile, is so concerned that he wants headteachers to be given the power to ban mobile phones in the classroom so children can fully focus on their studies.

Many concurred with Mr Hancock, including Ofsted chiefs, and applauded those Yorkshire heads who have already taken the lead and forbidden pupils from using their devices on school premises because they believe this stance will lead to improved exam results. Ideally, such protocols should be left to the discretion of each school – there will be occasions when use of phones under strict supervision is benefical to learning.

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However this isn’t just an issue for schools. A parent himself, Mr Hancock will realise how the education of children can be compromised if they spend too much time on phones, and other mobile devices, at home. And then there’s the question of how to teach youngsters about the safe use of social media. These issues also merit attention