Getting smarthphones out of classrooms is the ultimate smart move

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Pupils will hopefully realise that banning smarthphones in schools really is in their best interests.

Guidance from the Scottish Government will now equip headteachers to set their own rules surrounding the use of smartphones within school grounds and for many teaching professionals, the move cannot come soon enough.

It is an issue which teachers have raised for some time in Scotland, not least since England introduced a similar approach in February and Wales some years before.

Teachers have reported high levels of disruption to class as learning halts when that all-important buzz of a notification comes in. The balance has tipped in favour of tending to social updates rather than learning. Answers to questions and problems can be searched online. This helps nobody.

Concentration frays and focus falls as the smarthphone retains power over young minds. With social media all-pervasive, phone-free classrooms could create clearer space for expanding minds, developing true social skills and enjoying experiences.

Private schools have, of course, been able to set their own rules and a daytime ban at Gordonstoun had “instant” impact. Pupils started to interact once more as the school became noisy with chatter rather than the dull silence of device time.

Of course, consideration will rightly be given to pupils who have good reasons to have a phone, such as those who care for a relative or have a medical condition which means they need to be readily contactable.

For parents worried about loss of contact with their child, a call to the school office - such as was the way for generations - should fill the void.

Importantly, there is a behaviour and safety aspect to the ban. One survey found that 59 per cent of teachers said smartphones created conflict with pupils. Teachers have been filmed in class with footage put online, adding further stress to the already ample stresses of the working day. Pupils too have suffered from footage shot in the classroom being distributed at rapid speed, creating a learning environment loaded with potential anxiety and embarrassment.

Perhaps the potential ban on smartphones is a real step towards society questioning its relationship with smartphones when we know of the risks surrounding misinformation and online safety. Taking them out the classroom could be viewed as a first, healthy step in that process.