A trailblazing headteacher who was the among the first in the state sector to stop pupils using mobile phones in class has revealed the ban has helped to boost exam results.
Bruce Robertson, head of Berwickshire High School in Duns, said the move in 2020 had improved pupil behaviour, reduced bullying and contributed to rising attainment.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth gave the green light for all schools to banish mobiles last year but stopped short of introducing a nationwide ban, claiming it would not be ‘appropriate or feasible’.
At Berwickshire High, pupils are not allowed to use phones in the school building but can text or make calls in the playground.
Writing in today’s Mail, Mr Robertson hailed the improved behaviour of his pupils and the ‘respect and courtesy’ they show to others. He added: ‘The ban on phones is a key reason for these radical improvements.
‘I believe it is also a contributory factor to better exam results. The proportion of S4 pupils passing five or more National 5s, or the equivalent, has risen from 44 to 64 per cent since 2018.
‘And the proportion of pupils passing at least five exams at Higher level or equivalent has increased from 21 to 41 per cent.
‘The school is calmer and more purposeful as a result of ridding classrooms of phones – and pupils spend more time during breaks actually talking to each other.’
A damning study in 2023 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that Scots pupils were being distracted by smartphones, which experts claimed were stoking anxiety levels and affecting learning.
Last night, Scottish Tory education spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘This powerful testimony must be the catalyst for SNP ministers to enforce a phone ban in schools. Thanks to the SNP’s shameful failure to deliver on their pledge to deliver free laptops and tablet devices, many teachers are unsure that this will even be practically possible.
‘Jenny Gilruth should look at this positive example as the benchmark as to how this policy could work in practice given the soaring attainment levels.
‘Common sense should tell the Education Secretary that good outcomes happen when teachers are trusted to decide what’s best for their own school.’
In 2023, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that 15-year-olds in Scotland lag behind pupils in former Soviet bloc countries such as the Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia – and are also outperformed by their peers in England.
Andreas Schleicher of the OECD said many Scots pupils had complained about a classmate using their phone during a lesson, hampering concentration.
The PISA report also showed a worrying drop in attainment in maths, reading and science in Scottish schools. Among the UK nations, Scotland has the widest attainment gap in maths between poorer and better-off pupils.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our mobile phone guidance empowers headteachers to take the steps they see fit to limit the use of phones, including a full ban if required.’