Two Edinburgh schools become phone free zones
Two schools in Edinburgh will become phone free zones this month.
From today pupils at Portobello High School will be asked to store their phones at the beginning of each day in a lockable pouch. The Yonder pouches are locked and unlocked magnetically with phones remaining in each pupil's possession all day. From 14 May pupils at Queensferry High School will join the pilot project.
There has been engagement with pupils and parents to determine what to do and to set a new policy for the schools. At Portobello 86% of parents and carers support the new phone ban.
The hope is that it will encourage young people to stay in class focussed on lessons without any distractions.
The schools are basing their decisions on research which shows that a phone free school impacts mental health and wellbeing positively.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: 'I'm pleased to see Edinburgh schools leading the way in introducing a mobile-phone free school environment. Mobile phones in classroom settings are increasingly competing with the teachers for learners' attention and limiting access to mobile phones during the school day is only a positive thing for our young people.
'I know that schools across Edinburgh, and indeed the country, are exploring ways to manage mobile phone use, including restricting phone use during the school day. The new pouches provide an innovative way for our young people to have distance from their devices while having the reassurance that they are still in their possession. We hope that this new policy will increase focus on learning, reduce classroom distractions and help improve wellbeing.'
Scottish Conservative education spokesperson on The City of Edinburgh Council, Cllr Christopher Cowdy said: 'Making sure children can focus on their education without distractions is basic common sense.
'In April last year I raised a Motion in Council, highlighting concerns raised by teachers about mobile phone use in schools that can encourage seriously disruptive behaviours in the classroom. I was very disappointed not to get support from other political parties to help Headteachers with a more robust Council policy on smartphone use but delighted that 2 High Schools have now decided to press ahead themselves with pilot schemes to control use during the school day.'\
'Having heard, back in March, that Portobello High school intended to introduce a pilot ban on mobile phones, I spoke to the Headteacher to hear about his plan and offer my support.
'I applaud the initiative of both Portobello and Queensferry High Schools with their pilot smartphone initiatives. This is exactly the sort of bold action the Scottish Conservatives support Headteachers to take in helping combat the national rise in poor classroom behaviour and to drive improvements in our lagging attainment record.
'Other parties were resistant to initiatives of this kind for too long, despite the Scottish Conservatives repeatedly highlighting how removing access to mobiles could help improve discipline in schools.
'It is welcome schools are now taking these measures and SNP ministers must continue to give them powers to maximise opportunities for students.
'Under the SNP standards have declined and proposals to reverse the damage have been little more than cosmetic. They must deliver real change if Scotland's once world-leading education reputation is finally to be restored.'
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
'Damp forced us to live in bedroom for four years'
A woman has said she and her husband were forced to live upstairs in their home in Leeds for four years after the council failed to solve an issue with Town said the damp, from a flood under her council-owned home, caused appliances to break down, destroyed furniture and led to further health concerns for her husband, who was recovering from a serious Town said: "It destroys you, knowing the council knew the condition we were living in and that we lost everything downstairs, and did nothing to address it."A council spokesperson apologised for not fully resolving the issue, but said multiple repairs had been carried out and the house had remained "habitable". Mrs Town said the repairs to the property in Thorpe on the Hill, where she had lived for 12 years before moving to East Yorkshire at the end of last year, had included replastering the living room five times after it kept becoming damp."We lived in the bedroom for four years. The mental health [impact] from doing that in your late 40s and 50s – it's no good at all," Mrs Town said."I'm not upset, I'm angry. They wouldn't live like that, so why did they expect me to?" Mrs Town said it had become a "running joke" with builders, plasterers and plumbers when they repeatedly visited the property to fix the same issues."The council was sending plasterer after plasterer to rip off the walls and re-do them, without getting to the root cause of the damp and the mould," she explained that the damp had caused the oven and fridge-freezer to break down and work surfaces to come away from the wall in the the carpet had begun to smell and it eventually had to be removed, leaving bare floorboards, she Town said she and her husband had to take their clothes to the laundrette and they had lived on takeaways and air fryer food - even having Christmas dinner in their bedroom."It's enough to take a toll on anybody," she said. Mrs Town said that despite being in the top priority band for council housing and bidding for a new property every week, trying to downsize from their three-bedroom home, they were never able to secure said they had taken things into their own hands in December and had moved to Hornsea in East Yorkshire, which she said was "not ideal" and had been an "upheaval"."I was suffering with chest infection after chest infection, and I just said I couldn't do it anymore. Anchor Homes offered us this one, so I took it," Mrs Town said."We have lovely neighbours, but it is quiet, and I feel out of place at times."Without a car here, you are cut off. Both our families [are in Leeds], and my friends are there." 'Really angry' Mrs Town said the move had also meant the couple had to pay for further travel and accommodation when Mr Town had hospital appointments in Sheffield which he still needed to attend following a bleed on the brain eight years said Leeds City Council had been aware of Mr Town's health issues, which included a small stroke, loss of hearing and chest infections since the brain haemorrhage."Any council should not get away with making people live like that. I am really angry with them. I want them to acknowledge what they've done," she a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said repairs were carried out on several occasions in an attempt to resolve the issue at Mr and Mrs Town's home."Unfortunately, the root cause was not addressed, and the issue returned when there was heavy rainfall," they said."The property remained habitable during the tenancy, although Leeds City Council apologise for not being able to resolve the matter fully." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
We were given two hours to evacuate our RAAC riddled home
Standing beside the metal fence now surrounding the block of flats he once called home, Jimmy Vallance looks up at the metal shutter bolted to his living room shakes his head and sighs"It's such a shame to see it like this," he lived in the top floor flat in Tillicoultry for more than 40 years without any was until October 2023 when he and his wife, Fiona, were ordered to leave with just two hours' notice after inspectors discovered Raac concrete in the roof of the building."It was a shock" he says."Two or three weeks later you're sitting in temporary accommodation, looking at four walls. You've got no furniture of your own. You're surrounded by boxes. And it's like, 'oh man, this is depressing'."Potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete - a cheap, lightweight building material widely used between the 1950s and 1980's - was discovered in three blocks of flats in Tillicoultry around the same timeThe 27 properties, 10 of which are privately owned, have been off limits ever since but the council says it it working with residents on a solution. What is Raac? Raac stands for reinforced autoclaved aerated is a lightweight material that was used mostly in flat roofing, but also in floors and walls, between the 1950s and is a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, is quicker to produce and easier to is aerated, or "bubbly" - like an Aero chocolate it is less durable and has a lifespan of about 30 structural behaviour differs significantly from traditional reinforced it is susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture. The bubbles can allow water to enter the is often coated with another material, such as bitumen on roofing panels. But this material can also Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Raac was now beyond its lifespan and may "collapse with little or no notice". Jimmy and his wife spent 15 months living in temporary accommodation in nearby Alva which he says took a toll on their physical and mental November last year the 64-year-old was driving to a protest at the Scottish Parliament - to demand more help for Raac affected homeowners - when he suddenly felt the roadside he suffered the first of three seizures that led to him being placed in an induced coma for 24 hours."High blood pressure and the stress of being in the situation we're in. I think that combination built up, and built up and it just suddenly hit me."Whether my seizure was brought on by the stress they can't really say but it's got to have had some kind of impact." For Jimmy, and the other homeowners, a major source of stress is continuing uncertainty about what will happen to the spent more than 18 months stewing over potential options including demolition, the conversation has now shifted towards repairing the flats."If it's repaired then we've got to find the money for the repair," Jimmy says."Do I get loans? Do we get a loan from the council? I don't have a mortgage but do we go to a bank? At the end of the day I'm in the situation where I haven't got the finances for that."Clackmannanshire Council said it is committed to working with private homeowners on the issue of frustrated at what they see as a lack of support, residents have set up a campaign hope a meeting with council officials and contractors on Monday afternoon will offer some clarity. The group has also written to Scotland's housing minister to ask for a meetingPaul McLennan recently travelled to Aberdeen to listen to the concerns of residents living in Raac affected will be involved in similar meeting in Dundee this said: "I recognise this is a very difficult time for those affected. "Raac is a cross-UK problem, and we have been clear from the beginning that it requires a cross-UK solution."We have repeatedly called on the UK government to make available a dedicated Raac remediation fund, which they have unfortunately failed to do"Having returned to Tillicoultry where he's renting a bungalow, Jimmy says life is "100 times better" than it was at their lowest he and Fiona want now is for this long running saga to be resolved."We need it finished and we need to walk away just to make it easier for us.""At the end of the day I'm not getting any younger so I could do without all this hassle."
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Huge ‘Jack & the Beanstalk' tree towers over our homes – it's grotesque & irresponsible… but council won't chop it down
A GIANT "Jack and the beanstalk" tree is ruining locals' lives - but the council won't chop it down. Residents in Winchester, Hants, slammed the "grotesquely irresponsible" and "ludicrous" 45 foot high oak. 9 9 9 They say the tree was planted around 50 years ago by a previous homeowner on Canon Street who just "wanted something to do". But now it has branched into an "out of proportion" eyesore which overshadows the gardens of nearby properties - where the average house price is more than £600,000. However, the council have refused to cut it down and placed it under a protection order. The authorities said residents from a neighbouring street "appreciated" the tree. The decision has sparked outrage among locals who are actually dealing with the daily repercussions of such an overwhelming tree. Orla Williams, 40, moved into her terraced Grade II Listed home with her partner around two years ago. The doctor said after moving in, several residents went to her about the oak. She explained: "They were concerned that it is getting very large and that it could cause damage to their properties and potentially harm to people if it gets any larger, so they wanted it to be taken down. "We applied to the council to have it removed and someone came to look at it. "[The tree officer] said that they want to put a tree protection order on it." The mum-of-two also told how an "awful lot of detritus" falls from the tree in autumn and winter. She added: "We appreciate that the tree is beautiful but it's the wrong tree in the wrong place. "It is quite sad to remove something like that but it is only going to get bigger and potentially cause damage to lots of properties which is the main concern. "The council said they were concerned about removing it because it's one of the only trees in the area. 9 9 9 "All of the local residents seem to be of the opinion that unfortunately, it's the wrong tree in the wrong place." According to a council report, the tree officer visited Orla after receiving notice from the couple that it was due to be felled. But he found the tree met the criteria for a provisional protection order, which was issued in February of this year. A Winchester County Council meeting will take place next week to decide whether the tree status will change or not. There are nine residents in total who have objected to the order. Mark Pocock, a retired resident living on Canon Street, slammed the council's decision to protect the tree as "ludicrous". He said: 'As trees grow older they become more brittle. "If it were to fall and damage properties or persons, I would say the responsibility would be entirely with the council – not the owners of those properties. "I think putting a tree protection order on is grotesquely irresponsible of the council. 'It could be a danger to property and life." Nick Goff, 80, said he fears if the tree continues to grow, the roots underneath will damage a medieval wall in his garden, which was built in the Tudor era. The retired British Airways pilot said: "The issue is that in 10 years time, that will be double the height and double the width. 'It put on six feet last year it it's going to put on another six feet this year." He commissioned an independent report from a tree consultancy business. The report stated while the tree, which is still a "teenager" is in "good physiological condition". But the officer also found it is "a large sized tree in a very small area" and so the tree protection order is "unjustified". The report also stated "the possibility of longer term damage to the retaining walls and footings of the adjacent properties as entirely foreseeable". "Some guy planted this as something to do 40 years ago," Mr Goff continued "Now, we have got Jack and the Beanstalk. "It's not a historic tree – it's a silly mistake." However, the council report issued ahead of next week's meeting claimed these concerns were "speculative" and the tree "contributes meaningfully to local biodiversity and visual amenity". It added: "It is also the last significant tree in an area of land between Canon Street and St Swithun's Street, enhancing the character of the conservation area." Retired resident Graham Rule, 62, blasted the decision as "irresponsible". He said: "We all love trees but that shouldn't be there. "The people who want the protection order, they don't live here – its totally irresponsible." Winchester County Council was contacted for comment. 9 9 9
