Police called to schools 'every single day' to deal with smartphone threats
Smartphones are being used for round-the-clock bullying, MSPs were told
Police are being called to schools “every single day” to deal with threats linked to smartphone use, MSPs have been told.
Senior education leaders said smartphones are causing distress among pupils who are then avoiding school.
Holyrood’s education committee heard evidence on the rising trend of absence and truancy among Scottish pupils.
Duncan Dunlop, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, asked whether there is a correlation between smartphones and anxiety in schools.
Helen Waggott, President of the Scottish Guidance Association, said pupils are now subject to relentless, round-the-clock bullying due to smartphone use where previous generations would have had sanctuary at home.
She said parents are allowing children to be on their phones playing computer games until 4am.
“Every single day, and I mean every single day, we're having police involved in situations whereby threats are being made, [online] groups are being made to target young people.
“And young people are not feeling safe to come into school because of the threats, because of the the gossip, because of the images shared online.”
Ms Waggott referred to “internal truancy” when pupils will attend school but not stay within the classroom and instead roam the corridors.
She said there is pressure on school nurses with some pupils waiting up to five months to see one.
Principal teachers and leadership team members are being used to patrol corridors and school toilets “counting pupils in and out of toilets” because they would “rather be hiding in there”.
The committee heard that parents can feel extreme pressure and are “exhausted” by pupils who will not attend school.
“They have run out of options,” Ms Waggott added.
“We have parents who say to us, ‘You know, what can we do? We can't physically lay our hands on children and drag them into school.’”
Some parents, she added, are “significantly” changing their working patterns or quitting work entirely to home school children.
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This also means teachers are dealing with classrooms of as many as 30 pupils while also preparing work for young people to do at home.
Scottish Green MSP Laura Moodie asked what data is available on so-called “ghost parents” who home school children who are persistently absent.
Ms Moodie said: “There really seems to be absolutely no data being collected on home education in general, but in particular in the people that are not home educating through choice, but because they feel they have no other option.”
Dr Silvia Behrens, Research Associate in Urban Studies and Social Policy at the University of Glasgow, said there are a “couple of thousand” children being home educated in Scotland but that there is “very little data”.
Katherine Sangster, the Labour MSP, asked if parents are not sending their children to school because of a breakdown of trust that the environment is right for the child.
Barry Syme, head of Glasgow Educational Psychology Service, said communication with parents is designed to avoid blame and is “softer” than in previous years.
The panel also heard that poverty is a significant contributing factor to non-school attendance.
Ms Waggott said teachers routinely pay out of their own pockets to have supplies of food and stationery in classrooms for pupils.
The committee was told that the “mental load” of poverty can affect children who see their parents struggling.
A Scottish Government spokesman said there is "no place for violence in Scotland's schools".
While "the majority of children feel safe", he added, the government is changing the law to end mobile phone use in schools.“
"The Scottish Government is taking decisive action to improve behaviour by changing the law to end mobile phones in the learning environment right across Scotland and will bring forward legislation as soon as possible," he said.
“We’re delivering the Relationships and Behaviour in Schools Action Plan and are investing significantly to tackle youth violence.”
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