Sarwar ‘willing to have argument with anyone’ on need to ban phones in schools

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said he is willing to “have the argument with anybody” to ban phones in schools if he wins May’s election.

Mr Sarwar has this week announced a number of policies for his party ahead of polling day, including the barring of all transgender women from female prisons, a ban on phones in schools, and – at a press conference on Wednesday – he called for a UK-wide ban on social media for under-16s.

According to Mr Sarwar, current policy on phones is putting more pressure on head teachers, who are given the power to decide based on their own school, and he said a blanket, nationwide policy would work better.

Addressing journalists in Glasgow on Wednesday, he said: “From my own conversations with head teachers, both in schools that do have a ban and schools that don’t have a ban, is actually that we’re putting the responsibility on to the heads of head teachers, when in actual fact they would prefer a clear ruling from Government, so that they’re not getting challenged by parents or kids and then finding themselves in difficult situations.

“I think that we should take that responsibility and that pressure off head teachers and teachers and instead let them focus on what they should be doing, which is making sure we have a safe environment for teachers and for pupils in classrooms and in schools and focus on the education.

“I think this actually supports teachers and head teachers and, yes, I’m willing to have the argument with anybody.

“Because protecting our children, keeping them safe and teachers safe in the classroom, I think, is part of the duty of any government.”

The Scottish Labour leader said he does not know the cost of implementing the policy, which would be depend on the banning model adopted.

But he added: “We can’t use what is a relatively modest cost as a reason not to take action when it comes to the safety of our pupils and for teachers in the classroom.”