Moray Council bans the use of mobile phones in primary and secondary schools
Moray Council has banned the use of mobile phones in schools.
Devices will be banned entirely from primary schools, while secondary pupils will need to keep phones switched off and out of sight during the school day.
There are exemptions to both rules if phones are needed for medical or health reasons.
New rules will take effect from August 2025.
The move comes after a consultation with parents, carers, pupils and school staff which received 3283 responses. A total of 73 per cent of those were in favour of the ban.
However, a breakdown of that survey data shows a big divide between parents and pupils.
A total of 1659 parents/carers agreed with the ban terms, while 353 disagreed. On the other hand, 334 pupils agreed and 448 disagreed.
In terms of staff, 402 were in favour of the move and 87 against it.
The ban’s aim is to reduce distractions and promote positive learning environments. A review of the approach will be reported back to Moray Council in a year.
Chair of Moray Council’s education, communities and leisure services committee, Cllr Kathleen Robertson (Forres, Conservative), said: “We recognise that mobile devices are a part of every-day life and can enhance learning and teaching.
“But we also recognise the risks associated with young people bringing their devices into school, namely bullying and harassment with inappropriate use detracting from learning.
“We aspire for our schools to be places where pupils can focus, learn, and feel supported and guidance is being provided to head teachers to assist them to introduce this new approach while promoting positive relationships and behaviour.”
Head teachers will now develop policies and more information will be provided to parents/carers, pupils and staff before the start of the autumn term in August.
