To ask the Minister of Education whether he has considered (i) the impact of his schools guidance for mobile phone on neurodiverse children and those with a medical conditions who use their smartphone to manage and support their condition; (ii) a different approach for post-primary children and sixth form; (iii) programmes and apps on smartphones that were introduced during the pandemic and still in use.

(i) The guidance focuses on restricting the use of personal mobile devices to ensure that all young people can fully engage in learning and participate in school life, free from unnecessary distractions. The guidance acknowledges that there may be exceptional circumstances and recognises that schools will wish to develop a bespoke and tailored approach dependent on the needs of their schools and individual pupils. The guidance does not provide an exhaustive list of exceptional circumstances and schools can assess each case on its own merits, however it could be expected that this would include pupils with medical conditions (including diabetes), Special Educational Needs or young carers.

(ii) The guidance provides examples of different approaches on restricting the use of mobile phones and highlights positives and potential issues associated with each approach. The guidance specifically highlights the potential need for different approaches across primary and post primary. In addition, the specific needs of pupils in years 13 and 14 are referenced. Schools have been asked to revise existing policies accordingly to develop approaches that work for their own environment, consulting with the wider school community, including pupils and parents.

(iii) The guidance is intended to focus on pupils’ personal use of mobile devices within the school environment rather than in any way prohibit or inhibit wider use of technology that have been introduced in schools to support learning. Schools are best placed to determine how such technology more broadly can effectively support learning and teaching for their pupils.