Roccio Cifuentes, the Children's Commissioner for Wales, emphasized the importance of maintaining schools as safe spaces for both students and teachers, during a discussion on BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement. Her comments come in the wake of a University of Birmingham report, which found that banning phones in schools had negligible effects on improving academic performance or mental well-being. Cifuentes voiced her concerns over making schools overly restrictive, opposing a "punitive or highly securitised approach" and warning against turning educational institutions into "battlegrounds."
The backdrop to Cifuentes' remarks includes a disturbing incident in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, where a 14-year-old girl was convicted of attempting to murder three people in a school stabbing last April. While describing the event as "sad and shocking," Cifuentes reassured that such occurrences are exceptionally rare.
"We can't turn schools into a battleground," Ms Cifuentes stated, underscoring her belief that educational environments should not be marred by potential safety measures that could negatively impact students' well-being.
The University of Birmingham's report has fueled ongoing debates about phone use in schools. Cifuentes advocates for a "whole society approach" to address this issue, aligning with the chief inspector of Estyn, the Welsh education watchdog, who also opposes blanket exclusion policies.
"I think that would be very detrimental to children and young people and their wellbeing," she added, stressing the need for understanding and dialogue rather than restrictive measures.
Cifuentes highlighted the forthcoming Online Safety Act, which aims to impose greater accountability on social media companies for safeguarding children online. She also emphasized the crucial role parents and families play in this regard.
"We have new rules coming into place, through the Online Safety Act, which will place greater responsibility on social media companies to keep children more safe online, and parents and families have a role to play," she said.
"Maybe they are feeling under pressure to, on occasion, take weapons into schools. We need to start with understanding and talking," Ms Cifuentes noted, advocating for open discussions to address underlying issues.
