24
May
Stray Ferret student reporters ask should smartphones be banned in school?
Grace Cox, Izzy Gordon and Mikayla Diaram are year 10 pupils at Harrogate High School. They recently spent a week with the Stray Ferret on work experience learning how to be a journalist.
We asked them to look at the topic of whether mobile phones should be allowed in schools - a subject that is rarely out of the headlines. They got together a group of students from different years and put their questions to them.
The first report by Izzy Gordon focusses on the pupil's views. Tomorrow Grace will report on how the teachers feel and then on Monday we will publish Mikayla's final report, which asks how the parents feel.
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Several Harrogate High School pupils have shared their views with me on whether phones should be allowed during school.
The topic has been at the centre of national discussion for months now, so I spoke to a group of pupils at Harrogate High School to get their opinions first-hand.
Phones are not permitted at any time during the school day at Harrogate High School – including break and lunch times – and are confiscated if pupils are caught using them.
However, pupils’ timetables and homework are stored on an app on their digital devices.
Year 10 pupil Summer Long told me she wouldn’t want her phone during lessons as she knows it would become a distraction, but she does feel the rules could be made more flexible:
I think we should be allowed to have them at break and lunch.
The interviewees
Other members of the group also said they would like to be able to use their phones during break times but admitted they would likely use their phones “for fun” during lessons, which would affect their concentration.
However, some students claimed they would focus on their work more if phones were allowed.
Summer also told me she feels much safer knowing she has her phone on her during school in case of an emergency.
“Students should be allowed to use their phones at break and lunch, but they shouldn’t be allowed them during lessons as they would detract from concentration and could take a toll on overall exam results”, she said.
Susannah Williams, a year seven pupil, added:
People may feel more secure having their phones on them because they can easily contact someone if they really need to.
Some pupils in the group felt teachers should be “setting an example” and should not use their phones during the school day.
Overall, I discovered that the pupils have mixed feelings towards phones being allowed in school; some admitted they would become more distracted if rules were relaxed, but others would like the freedom to be able to use their phones out of lesson time.
How did I find my experience asking questions and working as a journalist?
Doing work experience in year 10 is great. It is a chance for us to see how school subjects apply in real life.
I loved being at the Stray Ferret and seeing how stories come together. It made me realise how much research goes into a piece and how much I enjoy writing.
Thank you for the experience, Stray Ferret.
Harrogate High School response
The Stray Ferret contacted Harrogate High School for comment on the girls' findings. A spokesperson said:
Harrogate High School values the perspective and voice of our students; it has been thrilling to see our three young journalists gain such a positive experience at the Stray Ferret for their work experience! We are really proud of our work experience programme and know that is a crucial building block in our students' path to post-16 success.
At Harrogate High School, we acknowledge that mobile phones are a valuable tool in today’s world, offering benefits such as improved communication, access to educational resources and the ability to stay connected with family and friends travelling to-and-from school. However, to maintain a focused, respectful and safe learning environment, mobile phone use is not permitted during our school day. We utilise the ClassCharts and Arbor apps, but students are expected to use these at home, not in the school day. We want children to have the time and space to be children and to remember their school days in terms of the connections they made in the real world.
This policy is in place to minimise distractions, support face-to-face interactions and ensure that the focus for each school day is “learning first.”
We encourage topical discussions with students about issues such as this and always ask for input on matters that impact the running of the school and community. We are fully aware that students like to use their phones, but appreciate the acknowledgement, support and co-operation in reinforcing this rule, which helps create a positive and productive learning atmosphere for all students.
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