Schools are at risk of missing Ofsted’s “expected standard” in inspections if they do not follow the government’s latest guidance on mobile phones.
The government announced new non-statutory guidance for schools on phones last week amid mounting concern about their impact on children’s wellbeing.
Ofsted will now inspect mobile phone policies in every school inspection, it has emerged. Previously, the watchdog would only inspect mobile phone use if concerns were raised.
The inspectorate has confirmed that schools could fall short of the “expected standard” for attendance and behaviour if they choose not to follow the guidance.
Ofsted inspects phone use in schools
Lee Owston, Ofsted’s national director for education, sets out in a how Ofsted’s focus has changed in this area following the announcement of the new guidance.
Inspectors will look at how phones contribute to behavioural issues, and whether pupils’ attitudes to learning are negatively affected.
They will also evaluate if phone use leads to bullying or discrimination, and whether there is a harmful impact on pupils’ mental health.
“Evidence of one or more of these points may indicate that leaders are not taking effective action to secure pupils’ positive behaviour, attitudes and wellbeing,” Mr Owston writes.
“This means it would be likely that the ‘expected standard’ for attendance and behaviour will not be met,” he adds, referring to the school watchdog’s new inspection framework.
Across different evaluation areas, Ofsted now gives schools one of five different grades: “exceptional”, “strong standard”, “expected standard”, “needs attention” and “urgent improvement”.
In a letter to schools today, education secretary Bridget Phillipson underlines the messages in last week’s .
“All schools should be phone-free environments for the entire school day,” she writes. “That includes lessons, time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime. It means, for example, it is not appropriate for phones to be used as calculators or for research during lessons.”
Ms Phillipson adds that the previous guidance on mobile phones did not deliver the “clarity or consistency that schools need or help enough in setting out for parents that this is a clear national position”.
Schools will be able to deviate from the guidance if they have a valid reason, but the government has yet to set out the grounds for such exemptions.
Ms Phillipson’s comments come after the government launched a consultation on banning social media for under-16s.
‘Resources needed’ for phone storage
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) welcomed the education secretary’s letter, but said the challenge for schools will be the practicalities of enforcing phone bans.
“We would like to see government support in providing schools with the resources needed for the safe and secure storage of mobile phones during the school day, ensuring that pupils cannot access these devices at all,” said ASCL general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio.
91 has asked ASCL what kind of resources it is referring to.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, also welcomed the letter, but said schools will need time to communicate with students and implement the logistics to put a complete ban in place.
Commenting on this new guidance, Mr Whiteman said “it betrays an unwarranted lack of trust in school leaders. School leaders will feel threatened rather than supported by this approach”.
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