Statistics on mobile phone use in schools in the UK
It’s increasingly understood that mobile phones are distracting and disruptive for teachers and students in schools. According to the Department for Education (UK) 97% of 12-year-olds now own a mobile phone with Ofcom reporting in March 2023 that mobile phone usage and ownership rose to 20% of 4 to 8-year-olds, rising to 50% for 9-year-olds and 60-80% for 10 to11-year-olds. 29% of secondary school pupils reported mobile phones being used without permission in most of their lessons.
UK Policy on phones in schools
In February 2024, the UK government required schools to develop and implement a policy to create a mobile phone-free environment in order to tackle the problem. This advice came with guidance but no specific or prescribed method to deliver a learning environment that is free from mobile phones and the disruption and poor behaviour that has been causing issues for schools and learning.
The new guidance encourages schools to create a mobile phone-free environment during lessons, in between lessons and at break and lunchtime.
Each school will have to decide what is most appropriate and ensure individuals with medical conditions are not disadvantaged.
So how are schools tackling the problem?
It is not a new concern. Schools have had policies in place to minimise phone use for years including phones having to be in bags and switched off during school hours. Phone lockers or pouches have been introduced in some schools requiring every pupil to leave their phone in their locker for the day.
Many schools report that their policies are well received and adhered to. They may also have greater flexibility for older students allowing use of phones in the sixth form common rooms or study rooms but not in front of younger students.
The new guidance implies that this approach is not going far enough.
What do parents think?
There has been significant support for mobile phone free schools in the UK from parents including the Phone Free Schools campaign from Parents and Teachers for Excellence. It has also been reported that some parents have become so used to being able to check in with their children via mobile phone that they are concerned about the idea of being “out of touch.”
The locker or pouch approach
Providing mobile phone lockers for schools has both cost and physical logistics issues. The cost of lockers can be in the region of £20 per pupil. In a large comprehensive with 1500 pupils that’s an outlay of £30,000 from a budget that is already likely to be stretched.
Mobile phone pouches for schools is another approach being used, and the cost is usually passed on to parents at £20 in the first year with a further £12 per year fee thereafter (and replacement costs if damaged).
Both costly approaches require a significant level of trust that pupils will do as they are asked and place their phone in the locker or pouch.
So what’s the alternative?
The Scout is a small handheld device developed to provide an easy-to-use monitoring and auditing tool for schools to find mobile phones in classrooms and exam conditions.
In a recent test in a specialist sixth form in the West Midlands, our team demonstrated the Scout’s capabilities. The policy at the school is for phones to be placed in lockers at the beginning of the day and retrieved at the end. The head teacher was confident that the students were abiding by the rules.
In the first small classroom of 12 pupils, we discovered one phone within a couple of minutes. This led to another student volunteering their phone for fear of sanctions. In the second classroom a similar outcome and in the third classroom of 24 students, 8 phones were found.
Cost comparison – Scout vs Lockers or pouches
The Scout costs £999+VAT which is equivalent to providing lockers for just 50 students. If a school has spent £30,000 on lockers, then it is key that this policy is verified and audited as having the effect the school is seeking.
Alternatively, if no investment in lockers has been made, the Scout allows for a “phones in bags and switched off” policy to be tested and verified frequently at just 3.333% of the outlay of lockers and no cost to parents.
How does the Scout work?
The Scout is a small handheld device that can scan for any form of data signal transmitted when a mobile phone or similar device is switched on. Even when it’s not being used the phone will give off a signal that can be found by the Scout. Scanning can be done in the area of a single classroom or a quick change of settings will allow you to check for phones across a wider area such as an exam hall.
This simple device works brilliantly in schools to support distraction free learning, empowering our teachers and children to get the best out of their classroom time.