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Don't ban phones in schools, they do more good than harm, says Wolverhampton headteacher

Mobile phones should be banned from school because children cannot resist checking them, according to Tom Bennett, adviser to the education secretary Nicky Morgan.

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But far from needless distractions, mobile phones have found an ally in the form of Kathy Crewe-Read, headteacher of Wolverhampton Grammar School:

"It was, of course, only a matter of time before government sought to take a stance on mobile phone use in schools and this week's pronouncements from the Education Secretary's office, that phones should be banned, could have been predicted. The argument, based on the pretty obvious (but now, evidently proven) premise that texting or tweeting messages during lessons is distracting and therefore damaging to pupil progress might seem compelling, but it ignores a fundamental truth about education, which is that at its very heart lies the preparation of young people for life in our world.

"Mobile phones, digital technology and social media are here to stay: they cannot be un-invented. They form a massive part of the communication mechanism used by young people and that is only going to grow bigger. Software and hardware will become more sophisticated. In ten years' time, a discussion about banning phones will be a moot point as students will access the internet and message each other from their glasses, watches and who knows how else. If we in schools don't teach them to use today's technology sensibly, what chance will we and they have in a decade? Many of our students will be parents themselves then; how will they parent if they have not been guided by us, their teachers and families, to find a polite, self-disciplined and indeed moral route around this complex, but huge aspect of modern life?

"At Wolverhampton Grammar School, we have already made the stance that we want mobile devices at school, because they offer so much that is good. The average smartphone's browsing capacity alone enables children access to as much information as was held in the fabled Library of Alexandria, at the touch of a button. Add in functionality that can really take learning to another level like time-lapse video, audio playback, operating systems that enable you to share ideas with other devices and of course timers and calculators…and you have a really versatile tool. Very soon, our students will be able to access their timetables, homework and their school work digitally too. Surely the benefits of these devices outweigh the downsides? Of course students shouldn't allow themselves to be distracted by their phones during lessons; phones should be used as and when necessary, and by instruction from the teacher. And yes, teachers will have to be on the ball, adept at keeping students on-task, but that has always been the case in the classroom. How many readers of this article have not themselves whispered to a classmate or sent a note whilst the teacher's back was turned? Teachers have always needed eyes in the back of their heads! As educators our role should include showing students what digital behaviour is and what is not ok: this is part of preparation for modern life.

"Our country's young deserve to be prepared for a techno-savvy world. If schools do not play their part in this, then we let them down."

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