Ofsted’s chief inspector has told parents that inspectors will back headteachers who take the “tough” decision to ban phones, warning that exposure to online content on devices can be “damaging” to children.
Sir Martyn Oliver, who used to be chief executive of a large academy trust, said that in the past he had walked into schools where phones were “rife” that were in “utter chaos” .
In a question-and-answer session with parents in London on Wednesday, the Ofsted boss said: “Headteachers already have the power to ban [phones], and they should ban them.
“Ofsted will support schools in banning phones.”
Speaking at the event run by the charity Parentkind, Sir Martyn said children whose brains are developing do not need to be “bombarded by non-human algorithms that might be preying upon them”.
He added: “It’s harmful and it’s damaging. So I do believe [phones] should be banned.”
Ofsted ‘supports school phone bans’
Under the previous Conservative government, schools in England were given non-statutory guidance in February last year intended to stop the use of mobile phones during the school day.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has questioned why the Labour government has opposed her party’s proposed amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require schools to ban the use of phones.
In the Commons on Wednesday, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer described the proposal as “completely unnecessary”, claiming that “almost every school” already bans phones.
When asked about phone bans in schools, Sir Martyn said: “I think it’s crucial that Ofsted doesn’t ask schools to do beyond what the government asks them to do, but I would absolutely support headteachers to take that tough decision even if it led to a spike in behaviour, for example, in the first instance.”
He added: “I’ve walked into - I can’t remember exactly how many - special-measures schools in utter chaos, but it’s an awful lot.
“Some of them you could easily describe as in some of the most challenging circumstances in the entire country when I went in to sponsor them, and there were phones rife everywhere.
“And within those schools, within days of banning phones, and as hard as that is initially, you get an immediate sense of calmness across the school.”
Parents urged not to ‘pile on’ schools
In his speech to Parentkind, which he delivered before answering questions, Sir Martyn called on parents to engage with schools “in the right way” rather than joining a social media “pile-on”.
He warned that social media can “hand a microphone to the pub bore, a megaphone to the bully and help the rabble-rouser find his or her rabble without leaving their armchair”.
Sir Martyn said: “The world seems to be getting more antagonistic and adversarial. So you can understand why a school leader might be wary of engaging with parents.
“But I always found that the way to defuse tensions, tackle rumours and build common purpose with parents is more communication, not less. More openness, not less. And more information sharing, not less.
“So I say join the PTA, don’t join the pile-on.”
Earlier this month, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said she had tasked officials with exploring how to “more effectively monitor” what is happening in schools in England around the use of smartphones.
In a speech to the Association of School and College Leaders’ conference in Liverpool, Ms Phillipson said: “The government’s position is clear: you have our full backing in ridding our classrooms of the disruption of phones.”
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