STUDENTS THRIVE AS HEAD BANS MOBILE PHONES

Students thrive as head bans mobile phones


Effect on pupils' learning 'dramatic' after school bans students from using mobile phones on campus.








Photo: © Idealink Photography / Alamy






By Telegraph reporters

8:43AM GMT 26 Nov 2012





Students at Burnage Media Arts College in Manchester are forbidden from using mobiles anywhere at any time on campus.


The ban was brought in after children disrupted lessons by texting and playing games on their phones. There were also concerns that pupils were cyber-bullying one another using texts and Blackberry messaging (BBM).


Headteacher Ian Fenn introduced a zero-tolerance ban to curb the problem. Any pupil seen using a phone has it confiscated, with their parents having to go into the school in order to get it back.


Staff at the boys-only school, on Burnage Lane, say the difference in behaviour has been 'dramatic' since the ban was introduced a year ago. Parents and governors have given their full backing, while education watchdog Ofsted have also praised the move.


Mr Fenn, who has been at the school since 2001, said: "I think mobile phones rather crept up on education - and in our experience it was a nightmare.



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"We used to have kids BBM-ing in lessons or sending each other jokes.

"We tried telling pupils they couldn't use them in lessons but it didn't work because it was too much of a grey area.

"When we banned them completely from the school grounds, we weren't sure how it would be received, but the effect has been dramatic.

"I don't think there's any other initiative in the last 12 years I've seen that has had the same impact. Apart from getting the best teachers we can, I think it's the most important thing we have done for pupils to improve learning."

Mr Fenn said not only had behaviour and concentration levels improved, but reports of cyber-bullying had dropped dramatically. The ban has meant many pupils now leave their phones at home, with others only using them outside school gates to contact parents once the day has finished.

An Ofsted report said the ban had 'contributed to a reduction in opportunities for cyber bullying in and around the college, or disruption in class'.

Bev Craig, a councillor for Burnage, said: "The school has continued to see a marked improvement in its results. The latest measure in enforcing a ban on mobile phones in class is a good way of getting young people to give their full attention in class."

A very sensible thing to do and a relief to teachers I should think. I got really fed up with hearing phones go off in classrooms and trying to stop pupils reading and sending texts under the tables. "How did you know I was doing that?" they'd ask. Well, you're looking down at your lap for some reason, the position of your arms is symmetrical and I can see your brachioradialis muscles twitching, which happens when your thumbs are being used a lot. Now put that phone away.

Pupils would say that they needed to keep their phones switched on because their mother/father/aunt/uncle/dog was poorly and they needed to be able to be contacted. When reassured that a phone message to the office would get to them, they looked at me as though they believed people sent carrier pigeons before mobile phones came along.

Morning AnnaEsse, maybe this will encourage other school Heads to follow suit , especially with the report about Universities.

There was absolute discipline when I was in school, no bad thing .

How times have changed. I remember one day I needed to alert my mother that I'd be late home due to some unscheduled lesson. Hardly anyone had a phone so I couldn't contact her that way. I decided to send a letter in a hand made envelope! In those days there were three mail deliveries - early morning, lunch time and about 4 in the afternoon - and a local letter should have got there in the last one.

Alas my cunning plan failed as the letter didn't arrive until the next day, long after I did!

Not Born Yesterday wrote:How times have changed. I remember one day I needed to alert my mother that I'd be late home due to some unscheduled lesson. Hardly anyone had a phone so I couldn't contact her that way. I decided to send a letter in a hand made envelope! In those days there were three mail deliveries - early morning, lunch time and about 4 in the afternoon - and a local letter should have got there in the last one.

Alas my cunning plan failed as the letter didn't arrive until the next day, long after I did!

You should have used a Carrier Pigeon NBY

It really is amazing how we coped before mobile phones were invented., not that I use mine very much , it takes me ages to type a message . If I'm abroad I ask someone to type one for me , surprisingly , everyone does..!!!

The way we live now is all designed for speed yet what good has it done us? The standard of Education is poor as verified by the Universities and Education Dept. Where does Society go from here I ask myself, glad I'm not growing up today.