It’s the noise in the playground that hits the hardest, says the principal of a private school in Melbourne’s south-east, after she introduced what could be the state’s toughest policy on mobile technology for students.
Casey Grammar principal Fiona Williams says the volume of children and teenagers laughing, chatting and playing at recess and breaks on school grounds has been dialled up to 11 since they were banned from phones, tablets, smartwatches or even wireless headphones and devices such as AirPods at the start of the school year.
Schools have long been grappling with the distractions and dangers of handheld, internet-enabled devices when it comes to children’s welfare and their education.
The state government’s ban on phones in the classroom has been in place since 2020, but it allows wearable devices – with notifications disabled – and various other exceptions to the rules.
The government said at the weekend that it had been pleased with the results of the ban and was now considering updating the policy to keep up with rapidly developing technology.
The state’s largest group of Catholic Schools, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, cited UNESCO research on the harmful effects of personal tech on children and young people last year as it moved to ban phones from the classrooms of its nearly 300 schools.
Each of the state’s 233 independent schools is free to write its own policies, and Casey Grammar’s device ban goes further than the government or Catholic positions. Exemptions to the rules at Casey on medical grounds will be considered only after a discussion with the school nurse.
Only year 11 and year 12 students are allowed to bring smartphones onto school grounds, as long as they stay secured in lockers for the entire school day.
The enforcement regime at Casey does not mess around either. Any device found on a student is confiscated and not returned until a meeting is held between the school, the child and their parents.
Williams said she and her colleagues had thought carefully about what she believes could be the toughest school tech policy in the state, after it became clear the previous policy, under which kids could have their phones but had to keep them in their bags, was not working.
“We’ve had lots of incidences in the past where phones have been used inappropriately … so we realised that we had to come in a lot harder with our policy, a lot stricter with our policy, and to have something that’s really black and white,” Williams said.
The principal had been prepared for resistance from parents.
“I was … expecting pushback, and it really hasn’t happened, and that really surprised me,” she said.
“Keeping in mind the school is over 1100 students, I’ve had, I think, three cases where parents have been concerned.”
The effect of the new policy had been profound, Williams said, with the lack of constant phone checking “changing the rhythm of the school”. There is more play, card games are common, and the place is louder.
“Not in a chaotic way, but in the way schools used to sound”, she said. “The playground is noisier, it’s busier, and it’s lovely to see students chatting and enjoying each other’s company, and they really weren’t doing that when they had phones.”
Year 12 student Deep Singh said he and his classmates took some convincing that the new policy was a good idea.
“When it came out, it was a big shock to me and to all my peers as well,” Singh said. “We thought it was quite a harsh move, to be honest.
“Funny enough, as time passed, it was a great opportunity to walk throughout the school with no phones, and people were more engaged with each other, playing games, noticing more things.
“It’s also benefited me with more friendships; there’s been more meaningful conversations with people that I don’t even usually talk to.”
A spokesperson for the state government said its phone ban had been a success.
“Principals and teachers tell us that it has improved student focus on learning and increased socialisation and physical activity during breaks,” the spokesperson said. “We’re working with Catholic and independent schools to review our approach and ensure it reflects new technologies.”
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