Dear Parent/Carer,
We recently asked parents to fill out a survey on the use of mobile phones in school. We had a great response to the survey with over 200 responses. Whilst the issues are seen to be ‘thorny’ across the country, we were really encouraged to see that there was a real consensus of opinion amongst our parents.
In every answer you gave, the vast majority of parents agreed on the negative impacts and the idea of restricting use.
We also asked students, and whilst the results were a bit more varied, they too acknowledge the impact that phones can have and the instances of harm that they or friends have experienced.
One area where there was some feedback was the issue of confiscation. Some parents highlighted the impact of confiscating overnight and had concerns about students walking home etc. We understand this, after all, many of us are parents ourselves, so we will always have a conversation with you before making that decision. If we can’t get to talk to anyone, we won’t confiscate overnight but we will expect the student to hand the phone back in the next day.
We are pragmatic, and will always work with parents, but we also appreciate your support in getting on top of this issue, which if allowed to go unchallenged, and without proper systems in place, will only damage your student’s chance to learn and achieve the best possible grades.
We have a duty to respond to concerns, promote better learning for all, and safeguard our students and staff.
So please see the attached snapshot of the results and the rules that will be communicated to students.
Thank you as always for all your support and opinions.
FRA