Shiplake’s stance on mobile phones is well known; banned during the day on College grounds, pupils are encouraged to interact with one another face-to-face rather than from behind a five-inch screen. This blanket rule and the liberating effects it has had have become a source of local and national interest and discussion; first published in the Henley Standard here, the story was picked up by the Daily Mail here. It has since been discussed on TALK Radio here, and then on BBC 4’s Today programme here. This morning, Headmaster Mr Gregg Davies took live to the sofa on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, to discuss the issue of mobile phones and whether it is okay for teachers and pupils to be private messaging each other in and out the classroom.
An investigation by Good Morning Britain has recently revealed that there has been a 61% increase in reports of inappropriate pupil-teacher contact using social media platforms, with over 480 complaints to councils about such interactions in the last three years. The NSPCC is now calling for all schools to ban this. Mr Davies, after causing a stir with his decision to ban mobile phones at Shiplake, was called upon to debate the issue on ITV’s breakfast programme. Live on the sofa with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, the Headmaster was asked to give an opinion on this growing form of communication. Pitted against the Deputy Head of Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough, Mr Jon Tait, Mr Davies succinctly and articulately described the potential issues with direct messaging, and the undeniable advantages of discouraging such communication.
The Headmaster spoke about choice, risk and consequence. Direct messaging is, by its very nature, private; it is incredibly difficult to monitor any such communication. To protect both pupils and teaching staff from this, a ban is in place in Shiplake College. With a rise in the use of ‘Flipped Classrooms’ an email system, designated support sessions and break times in which pupils can find teachers if necessary, there really is no need for them to be messaging teachers outside school hours. Social media, by its definition, encourages social behaviour: boundaries that exist in life can be broken down online, and it is imperative that the distinction between teachers and pupils, and what constitutes appropriate contact, is emphasised and respected.
Safeguarding is not the only issue; as Gregg went on to say, not allowing communication once school hours have finished has an impact on wellbeing. Teachers need downtime in the evenings just as much as those working in other professions; it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect to wait until the following morning for a response from a doctor, lawyer or businessman – the same expectation should apply for those in the teaching profession. Helping to maintain manageable workloads, and creating positive work-life balances is important for teachers, who spend several hours a day essentially ‘on-stage’. Being constantly on watch in a class, ensuring that each pupils’ different learning styles are met with appropriate care and consideration, is physically and mentally exhausting for teachers. Being able to step away, without the expectation that they can be constantly contactable, aids their mental wellbeing. Indeed, a curfew is in place for emails to be sent by staff members between 8.00pm and 7.00am, ensuring that teachers feel comfortable stepping away from their screens and enjoying a relaxing evening (or preparing lessons and providing constructive feedback on homework!).
It is not just for the members of staff either that this rule is in place; the staff feel keenly that pupils also benefit. Mr Tait’s argument was that allowing pupils to use social media helps to prepare them for the modern world. Mr Davies has much the same mantra at Shiplake: we are preparing the children of today for the world of tomorrow. However, his approach to how this is achieved is vastly different. Whilst the use of technology within classrooms is encouraged, allowing an environment where pupils are able to pick up their phone to text/Facebook message their teacher whenever they run into a problem is counter-productive. By encouraging pupils to attempt homework on their own, Shiplake is forging self-sufficiency and resilience within pupils. Teachers are certainly on hand within the school day to approach if extra help is required, but it is important that pupils have the motivation and confidence to tackle problems independently. The word(s) of the year at Shiplake is ‘just try’, and it embodies the attitude pupils are expected to have.
Piers and Susanna were fully in support of Shiplake’s view, as both are parents themselves and understand protecting the professional relationships between pupils and teachers. Positive comments from viewers flooded in, and were posted on the screen throughout the exchange, showing a real backing from other teachers and parents. Closer to home, current and former parents have shown support on this issue. One parent has commented: ‘like lots of parents we are supportive of trying to encourage that old-fashioned art of conversation in our boys!’ It was a highly topical debate that has garnered interest from the public.
To watch the debate, please click here.