Somerset College currently allows students to have access to mobile phones in the classroom.  

Various studies describe the significant negative impact that mobile phones have on students in the classroom.

In 2020, the Victorian State Government implemented a mobile phone policy for all government schools, requiring that phones brought to school must be switched off and stored securely during the school day.

A leading local school (All Saints) implemented a policy a number of years ago whereby students must check their phones into their lockers when they enter school, and they can't remove their phones from their lockers until they leave school.  The students can however gain access to their phone during the school day by using it at the locker during breaks or with permission during times of emergency.

This has resulted in positive benefits for the students as there is less distractions in class, and reduces workload for teachers as they do not need to police phone use during class and can focus on educational outcomes.

We call upon Somerset College to implement the same policy that All Saints successfully uses.