The Department of Education is not planning a blanket ban on smartphones across schools, officials have confirmed.
Instead, Minister for Education Norma Foley is drawing up guidelines for primary schools and parents’ associations who wish to introduce a voluntary “no smartphone code”.
It follows an initiative in Greystones, Co Wicklow where all eight primary schools and parents associations have introduced an opt-in policy that allows parents to agree collectively not to purchase smartphones for their children.
The department’s guidelines will be aimed at primary schools only, officials said. “The Minister is working on proposals to support a similar model for schools and intends to bring them to Cabinet shortly,” a spokesman added.
There were media reports this week that phones would be banned in the classroom under new legislation. However, schools already have discretion to ban or restrict smartphones use in school and many do so under their “acceptable use” policies.
[ Children’s access to smartphones: ‘many sleep with them under their pillows’Opens in new window ]
Practices vary widely in second-level schools, where some allow students to use their phones in class quizzes or work, while others have strict policies where students are required to hand over their phones on arrival at school or place them in secure locations.
Ms Foley said earlier this month that her plans would provide an opportunity for parents to work in co-operation with primary schools to develop policies around buying phones for children.
“I believe in the power of the collective and it’s important we bring everybody on board here,” she said. “I’ve been very impressed by initiatives we’ve seen right throughout the country.”
The Minister said her plans focused on providing support, guidelines and information for parents and schools, especially around phone ownership at primary level.
“I do appreciate – and I travel the length and breadth of the country, and meet with parent sand school staff – that it is difficult when some children at primary have phones and others do not. There can be considerable pressure put on parents to purchase phones,” she said.
[ How are schools coping with the minefield of smartphones?Opens in new window ]
She said parents of children in classes could collectively make decisions around the purchase of phones.
“It will be voluntary but the focus will be on educational information ... When people have the proper information, that is the first step in terms of them having the right tool to make the right decision,” Ms Foley said. “Schools do a huge amount of work in this area, but they can only do so much. Therefore, we need the co-operation of parents and guardians.”
The initiative in Greystones forms part of a wider community-led wellbeing initiative that was sparked by the concerns of principals, teachers and parents over worrying levels of anxiety among pupils.
The initiative It Takes a Village, led by Rachel Harper, principal of St Patrick’s National School, seeks to build a community of services to assist children, families and teachers in need of help with issues around anxiety.
“Childhood seems to be getting shorter and shorter, and we feel a lot of children are not emotionally ready to manoeuvre a smart device,” Ms Harper said.
“The aim is that by working together we can take the pressure off parents who may feel bad if their child is the only one in fifth or sixth class who doesn’t have a smartphone. If as many parents as possible sign up to this, it will put all children on a level playing field and it becomes the new norm for children in the area.”
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly – both residents of Greystones – have expressed their support for the initiative.
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