MOBILE phones will be banned from use in NSW public secondary schools from Monday, as the Minns government delivers on its election commitment to improve students' learning and social development.
Already restricted in primary schools, the government is bringing NSW high schools in line with those in South Australia, the Northern Territory, Victoria and Western Australia.
The ban on mobile phones will apply during class, recess and lunch times.
Several high schools, including Rutherford Technology High School, have already implemented the ban with positive results.
"We implemented the no phone policy at the beginning of 2023 as a result of significant conversations with our community; parents, staff and students," Rutherford Technology High School principal Simone Hughes said.
Each student is provided with a lockable pouch to place their phone and ear buds in and are allowed to keep them in their school bags.
"They stay with them all day and at the end of the day on the way out of school, there are unlocking stations," Ms Hughes said.
"There's an exception for our students with diabetes who have special pouches with velcro, so they can check their blood glucose et cetera," she said.
She said the new government guidelines would impact on learning and wellbeing, to increase the focus in classrooms.
"That's where it was being lost by removing the distractions we can promote positive social interactions and it reduces the potential for online bullying," she said.
"But that's not certainly the main focus. The focus for us is on strong teaching and learning practices to support students in the classroom."
She said since implementing pouches, positive feedback had been received from students and staff.
"Students have commented they didn't realise how addicted to their phones they were and my staff initially found they were doing more teaching, because they weren't disciplining students constantly about putting their phones away," she said.
"We've also noticed in our playground, kids are actually playing, talking to each other and interacting."
Merewether High School principal Rochelle Dooley also welcomed the announcement and said after consultation with staff, students and the P&C, they had opted for the 'off and away method'.
"We've generally just gone with teacher discretion as to how students interact with technology within the classroom, mobile phones have been allowed to be used at school, but obviously not during class time," she said.
"But now in line with the new government policy, students can have their phones in their possession, but they're to remain in their school bag for the day and they are to be off and out of sight."
Ms Dooley said phones had not been a significant distraction at Merewether High but she was excited to see how the ban would improve social interactions during break times.
"I think now that obviously during break time and during the school day, students will be more interactive with each other and more engaged with their learning," she said.
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