Ashburton College has announced it will ban students from using cell phones during school hours. File photo. Photo: Jae Park/ Unsplash
Removing the use of cellphones at Ashburton College is about eliminating a major disruption, according to the school's principal.
The new policy comes into effect next year and will make cellphones invisible at the school, Principal Ross Preece said it would allow the teachers to teach, provide a better learning environment for students and help stamp out the distribution of harmful content.
He said the policy had not been introduced because of the ongoing independent review of the college's procedures relating to bullying, which had captured national television attention.
"It's actually been on the agenda for over a year with the board of trustees," Preece said.
"It's about how we can ensure our students are free to get on with learning, which is what the basis of school should be.
"We were concerned about the distraction and the impact on socialising.''
He said cellphones were addictive and a huge distraction.
"We are convinced students are far more likely to interact and be positive with each other if they are not on their phones"
Removing cellphones would also reduce harmful and anti-social behaviour, he said.
"We can't control what's happening outside our school environment, but we can certainly control what's happening between the hours of 9am and 3pm."
Ashburton College principal Ross Preece says banning cell phones is aimed at providing a better learning environment for students. Photo: Ashburton Guardian
Bullying on social media platforms usually occurred outside school hours but the effects overflow into the school day, Preece said.
The new policy would remove cellphones from the equation, allowing the teachers to focus on being educators and students to concentrate on learning.
The reason cellphones weren't banned earlier was that the board wanted to "reach that point where we are confident that students will have access to devices for their learning", according to Preece.
When Preece informed the staff of the new policy it was met with applause and had already had messages of support from parents, he said.
From the start of the school day until the end, including interval and lunchtime, phones must be turned off and kept in a bag - not in a pocket.
Students would carry cellphones at their own risk and if a phone was seen by a staff member it would be confiscated, he said.
The only exception was Year 13 students, who would be allowed "discreet use" of their cell phones."
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