Kate Green hits out at 'interfering' Williamson over school phone ban

29 June 2021, 16:17 | Updated: 29 June 2021, 16:43

Kate Green hits out at 'interfering' Williamson over school phone ban

By Fiona Jones

Shadow education secretary Kate Green dismisses Gavin Williamson's "micromanagement" of schools, as he considers a mobile phone ban.

Banning mobile phones in schools is one of the measures being considered by the education secretary to promote "calm classrooms".

Mr Williamson said he wants to make the school day mobile-free, describing the devices as "not just distracting" but also potentially "damaging" when misused.

MP Kate Green was among those to cricitise his potential policy: "Most schools already have behaviour policies that ban the use of mobile phones in class.

"We really don't need Nick Gibb and Gavin Williamson micromanaging how schools run these matters at a time when...there are so many other things preoccupying schools and parents: the exam results we've just talked about, the collapse in bubbles and children being sent home and losing more learning."

Read more: 375,000 pupils absent under Covid school rules

'The situation is getting worse,' says Shadow Education Secretary

She continued, "Concerns about children's social and emotional wellbeing, and access to activities that will help them to recover from the pandemic, the Government's woeful failure to fund the package of recovery measures recommended by their own education expert Sir Kevan Collins."

The education adviser Sir Kevan Collins may have shared Ms Green's sentiments, as he resigned in response to the government's £1.4 billion catch-up plan for schools, citing the size of the fund as insubstantial.

"Parents care about behaviour and of course they do, they're right to, but schools are well able to manage things like mobile phones on school premises without the interference of Nick Gibb and Gavin Williamson, who need to be concentrating on what's really concerning to parents and to teachers, which is to make sure that children make up for lost learning and lost social contact and welfare and development."

Mr Williamson's idea is being considered as part of a six-week consultation, launched on Tuesday, seeking the views of teachers, parents and other staff on how to manage good behaviour.

More Shelagh Fogarty News

See more More Shelagh Fogarty News

The Princess of Wales says she edited the photograph that was released to mark Mother's Day.

The insistence that we see Kate is tantamount to stalking, writes Shelagh Fogarty

Caller tells Shelagh his solution to illegal immigration.

LBC caller tells Shelagh Fogarty that the Channel islands are the answer to 'illegal immigration'

'Rishi Sunak chooses to do the self interested party politics': Shelagh Fogarty reflects on Tories' immigration policies

'Rishi Sunak chooses to do the self-interested party politics': Shelagh Fogarty reflects on Tories' migration policies

Shelagh Fogarty

Former Treasury official outlines 'three immediate priorities' likely to be reflected in Autumn Statement

Shelagh Fogarty

Suella Braverman's hardline crime bill seems like she's ‘interviewing' for career at ‘pathetic’ news channels, says caller

Shelagh and caller Sam

Anti-Semitic chants and actions 'delegitimize' pro-Palestinian cause asserts this Shelagh Fogarty caller

Shelagh and Ricardo Dos Santos

'It's sickening': Ricardo Dos Santos speaks to Shelagh Fogarty as two officers sacked over stop and search

Shelagh

Rishi Sunak has 'failed monumentally' to 'humanise' both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict says Israel expert

Shelagh and Callum

Twitter is a 'particularly dangerous' place to get information now says the Centre for Countering Digital Hate

Shelagh and caller Simon

LBC caller details 'disgusting anti-Semitic' act he witnessed, as hate crimes rise in fall out of Israel-Hamas war

Sister of missing Israeli woman

'We hope she's hiding somewhere': Sister of missing Israeli festival goer fears she is being held hostage by Hamas

Distraught caller on Israel-Gaza conflict.

'This is a war against Hamas!': Distraught caller wants Israel and Palestine to take down the 'enemy' together

Shelagh and Alicia Kearns

Head of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee expresses concern over Israeli 'siege of Gaza'

Shelagh Fogarty caller on facial recognition.

This caller lacks 'trust' in the government's handling of the AI facial recognition debate

Shelagh condemns PM's comments on 'dignity' of the elderly.

'He painted a picture of a Britain that the Conservatives meant to build...': Shelagh Fogarty condemns PM's suggestion that elderly have 'dignity'

Shelagh Fogarty on Jenrick

'We're full aren't we?': Shelagh questions Robert Jenrick's motive behind encouraging Brits to increase birth rate