Question
I welcome the steps the Minister outlined to ensure phones will no longer be a distraction in the classroom, but for many children they can be a lifeline if they have chronic conditions such as type 1 diabetes. I am pleased to see an acknowledgement about an exemption for medical or disability purposes. My concern is that if there is a supply teacher, or if children are moving year group or moving school and transitioning, how will the information be passed on to ensure we do not end up in a situation where a child needs to use a medical device or app on their phone to monitor their health condition and they end up being denied it?
Answer
I thank the hon. Member for making that important point. Schools already have systems in place for ensuring that there are handovers between teachers. I cannot stand at the Dispatch Box and guarantee him that in every single case across the entire country, 22,000 schools will always get it exactly right, but it is important that schools have those systems in place. The Government support them to do that. He is right that having that exemption and clarity for those who need to use a device that assists them with medical needs will still be important in future.
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply only partly answers the question. For the first part, it says schools already have handover arrangements between teachers, but it does not explain how a medical or disability exemption would be passed to a supply teacher, and it concedes it cannot guarantee every case will be handled correctly. For the second part, about a pupil moving to a different school, it gives no concrete mechanism at all, and its remarks about handovers between teachers do not clearly apply to a change of school. The answer is largely hedged, so the person who asked would likely need to follow up for specific arrangements.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| How will information about a pupil's medical or disability exemption from a school phone restriction be passed on when a supply teacher is covering the class? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply says schools already have handover systems between teachers and that the Government supports them, which gestures at how information would pass to a supply teacher. It never says how a medical or disability exemption is specifically conveyed, and it concedes it cannot guarantee every case is handled correctly. |
| How will information about a pupil's medical or disability exemption from a school phone restriction be passed on when the pupil moves year group or changes school? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The general reference to handovers between teachers could cover a move between year groups, but nothing addresses a change of school at all. The reply gives no concrete mechanism for transferring exemption information, and statement 7 only affirms that exemptions remain important. |