Changes to mobile phone use at CMC

Catherine McAuley College supports the rights of all members of the College community to be provided a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment. This extends to the use of digital tools and the online environment.

From the beginning of 2020, Victorian government schools were required to implement new mobile phone policies to remove phones from the school setting. The aim of this change was to help focus students’ attention on learning in the classroom by providing them with a safe environment and greater opportunities for social interaction and physical activity during breaks.

Studies show that removing mobile phones from the classroom leads to improvements in student achievement and improved recall and participation.

Learning from the positive experiences of other schools, CMC intends to implement changes to the way mobile phones are used at school, with changes to begin from the start of Semester 2 2022. Following a series of steps, new rules will see phones removed from the classroom by the beginning of Term 4 2022.

Students will still be able to bring a mobile phone to school, but it will need to be turned off and stored securely away during the school day. Parents or carers can still contact their children through the school office in emergencies. Certain exemptions will apply for medical conditions or individual circumstances. Certain senior classes may also use phones under teacher direction.

Families are encouraged to talk to their children about mobile phone use and support them to become safe and responsible technology users. We are confident that the new policy will address concerns about the impact of overuse of mobile phones on thinking and learning, health and wellbeing and will bring positive benefits to our College community.

What’s next?

The College is currently reviewing the ‘Use of Personal Digital Devices Policy’ and updating procedures. Information about the updated policy and what that means for students will be shared with the school community once ratified.

The plan is to implement the final stages of the new policy by fully removing phones from the classroom by the beginning of Term 4 2022.