Cell phone ban: England wants to ban smartphones from schools

Cell phones and smartphones are real thorns in the side of many educators. In England, educational policy makers now want to pull the ripcord and introduce a cell phone ban without further ado. The decision is highly controversial in English society.

Ministry of Education orders cell phone ban

One thing is certain: cell phones are to be banned from lessons in English schools from now on. However, the details of how this is to be achieved are uncertain. Finally, in the same breath, the authority states that the approach to enforcement may well vary. This also applies to the severity of the ban. Those responsible are free to decide whether cell phones are only banned during lessons or whether they should disappear completely from everyday school life. A complete ban from school is possible, for example, if every pupil has to hand in their cell phone at the school entrance.

England wants well-being for pupils

In this country, the rigorous ban may seem a little strange. In England, however, a ban on cell phones is already standard in some schools. However, the Ministry of Education wanted to prevent major differences between schools in this respect. Accordingly, the general ban on cell phones is now primarily intended to ensure standardization in this matter. However, there should have been a little more standardization. After all, it is not clear from the Ministry of Education’s twelve-page guidelines how schools are to enforce the ban.

As a result, it is possible that in some schools cell phones will have to be handed in at the entrance. In other educational institutions, however, it may be sufficient for students to keep their cell phones in their pockets. The only important thing is that the devices must not be seen or heard at any time. If this is the case, however, teaching staff are authorized to take them. In order to lower the inhibition threshold among teachers in this respect, claims for compensation for damaged or even lost cell phones are excluded. The aim of the measure is the well-being of the pupils.

Guidelines are controversial

Meanwhile, the English public and teaching staff are divided over the guidelines. Many do not see the use of cell phones at school as a problem. Rather, the excessive use of smartphones during free time is highly questionable. The teachers’ union even sees a symbolic political calculation behind the guidelines. They accuse the Ministry of Education of wanting to divert attention from much more serious problems in the education sector. However, there is also positive feedback. It is not surprising that schools that have already successfully enforced a corresponding ban in their own institutions are particularly supportive of the move.