Parents and staff back phone restrictions in Edinburgh schools

Parents and staff have overwhelmingly backed restricting pupils' mobile phone usage in Edinburgh secondary schools. A consultation on the use of devices during the day attracted almost 14,000 responses following a trial at two city schools last year. About 97% of secondary school staff and 94% of parents were in favour of limiting students' access to phones, either by locking them in a pouch or taking them away until the end of classes. City of Edinburgh Council said results of the survey would be used in a decision on the local authority's policy later this year. The Scottish government introduced guidance allowing headteachers to introduce phone bans in schools in 2024. It came after a 2022 study which showed about a third of pupils in Scottish classrooms admitted they had been distracted by the devices. A pilot scheme, launched in May last year, saw students at Portobello and Queensferry High Schools sealing their phones in "Yondr" pouches – which could only be opened at the end of the day for most pupils. The consultation, which ran for six weeks, asked students, parents and teachers from across the city about their views on the scheme. About 53% of secondary school pupils surv