Approved by Governors: Autumn 2025
Review Date: Autumn 2027
Haslingden High School appreciates that mobile phones can serve a useful purpose. However, we consider that the risks to students’ health and safety, to their wellbeing, and to maintaining good order within the school far outweigh the benefits. Students needing to contact parents/carers may use a school telephone with a member of staff’s permission. School cannot be held responsible for any issues arising as a result of a student bringing a mobile phone or additional electronic accessories (including Bluetooth earphones or headphones) to school.
Students in years 7-11 are NOT permitted to use mobile phones anywhere on the school site, including the school grounds, except with the express permission and under the direct supervision of a member of staff. They must be turned off and phones or any attached/connected equipment* must not be visible or audible at any time.
A privilege for students of Haslingden Sixth Form is that they are entitled to use their mobile phone in designated areas within school. We expect our sixth form students to fulfill their responsibility as role models to younger students who do not have this privilege, therefore:
- Mobile phones and additional electronic accessories must not be used in the main school buildings. (Sixth form students are permitted to use them in the Sixth Form building).
- Mobile phones should only be visible in class with the permission of the class teacher.
- If you are seen using your mobile phone and any additional electronic devices in main school or without permission in a class, they will be confiscated in line with this policy.
Our reasons for this include:
- The potential disruption caused during lessons by phones ringing or by students receiving texts.
- The dangers of mobile phone use for bullying purposes.
- The potential disruption at breaks and lunchtimes caused by students phoning or texting.
- The infringement of privacy caused by students taking photos of other students or staff without their permission.
- Incidents nationally where fights or assaults have been arranged or filmed using mobile phones.
- The dangers associated with unmonitored access to the internet, during school time, via smartphones.
- The potential breach of examination protocols.
- Students contacting home, without the knowledge of the school, regarding issues (e.g. illness) that arise during the school day.
In accordance with the Education Act 2011 and advice from the Department for Education (Searching, screening and confiscation – July 2022):
Any student seen or heard with a mobile phone** on the school premises, whether using it or not, will have the phone confiscated from them.
Any student found to be actually using a mobile phone on the school premises will have it confiscated from them, and one of a wide range of sanctions, appropriate to the level of use, will be imposed. This may range from a one-hour after-school detention up to suspension in more serious instances.
Should a student have a mobile phone confiscated on a second occasion an appropriate sanction will be imposed and they will be issued with a warning letter explaining our procedure in the event of a further confiscation.
Should a student have a mobile phone confiscated on a third or subsequent occasion in any rolling 12 month period an appropriate sanction will be imposed and the phone will be retained by school until the end of the last school day of that half-term. At this point it will be returned to the student. This will be explained in the warning letter.
For continued breach of our policy on mobile phones, the school reserves the right to impose further sanctions, up to and including suspension, as deemed appropriate by the headteacher.
Unlawful use of a mobile phone may result in police involvement.
*Please note that if any attached equipment is visible and connected to a mobile phone, then both items will be confiscated in line with this policy.
**In the event of a phone being confiscated, the phone will be stored securely until the parent/carer arranges to collect it from the school office between 8.15am and 4.15pm (with the receipt) or until it is returned to the student on the last day of the half-term, as appropriate to the particular circumstance. The phone also includes the SIM card.
We expect, for reasons of security, that phones are collected by an adult named as an emergency contact on our school system, unless a prior arrangement has been made with the pastoral team.