Phones Away: 

You probably heard the government has introduced a new policy regarding cell phones at school.

Phones Away For The Day:

The Government has introduced regulations requiring all state schools and kura to have student rules. Rules must be in use as soon as possible in Term 1 2024 and no later than Term 2. If your school or kura has existing student phone rules there may be little to do except ensure your rules reflect the new regulations. 

What Must Be In Your School Rules:

The regulations require that schools ensure students do not use or access a phone while attending school, including during lunchtime and breaks. This includes students who are on a school course or visit outside the school grounds. 

This must be in effect no later than the start of Term 2, 29 April 2024. Schools must allow students to use or access a phone when a phone is needed for health reasons (for example, to monitor insulin levels); or a phone is needed to help a student with a disability or learning support need (for example, to assist with impaired communication); or a teacher requires students to use phones for a specific educational task or purpose (for example, for a class assignment); or the principal decides that they are needed for special circumstances (for example, the student is a teenage parent).

Western Heights School Approach:

We have implemented a phones-away policy for years now. Our children know what is expected of them and are generally very good at complying. Phones-away keeps our children safe and focused on their learning. If a child needs to contact their parent, they simply let their teacher know, and we sort it. 

Things can get messy and confusing if a child contacts their parent - to collect them, for example - without teachers or office staff knowing.

The one challenge we have is smart watches and similar. We will not be collecting these in but we do expect children to do the right thing and not make calls home on them.

Your support, as always, is really appreciated in this approach. You can show your support by ensuring your children understand our expecttions around smart watches and other connected devices, and also by ensuring you make any school-time contact with your children via our Office and not via a smart device. Sincere thanks for this.