Tag: widespread support

‘Bell to bell’ ban on mobile phones in Edinburgh schools

Edinburgh will become one of the first local authorities in the country to introduce widespread restrictions on mobile phone use in schools at the start of the new school year in August.

Councillors at Education, Children and Families Committee agreed a ‘bell to bell’ ban of mobile phones, with lockable pouches to be introduced in every secondary school in the city. Learners at secondary schools will have to place mobile phones in lockable pouches for the duration of the school day. Primary school aged pupils will have to lock mobile phones away in cabinets.

It was also agreed that secondary school senior leadership teams will have the opportunity to develop their own guidance regarding senior phase (S5-S6) pupils’ access to their mobile phones during break, lunchtime and independent study time.

Mobile phone restrictions are already in place at two Edinburgh secondary schools, Portobello and Queensferry High Schools, where trials of lockable pouches have been underway since last year. Anecdotal feedback from staff and young people at both schools is positive.

A six-week citywide consultation on mobile phone restrictions earlier this year received almost 14,000 responses from parents/carers, pupils and school staff. Results were overwhelming in support of a ban, with 97% of secondary school staff and 94% of parents/carers favouring a ban, and 53% of young people supporting restrictions during teaching time.

Alongside the consultation, separate and targeted engagement has taken place with groups of secondary school pupils, head teachers, unions, members of the Scottish Youth Parliament and Edinburgh Youth Action.

A £400,000 one-off budget for purchase of lockable pouches and storage cabinets was agreed at the Council’s annual budget setting meeting in February this year. A strategy for the current and future procurement of pouches will also be developed.

In bringing in mobile phone restrictions, special consideration will be given for pupils with health needs or caring responsibilities who may need access to their mobile phone during the school day. The council will develop guidance for schools, including how exemptions will work in practice.

Councillor James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families Convenor said: “This is a monumental step for Edinburgh’s children and young people and I am proud that we are one of the first local authorities in the country to introduce widespread restrictions on mobile phones in schools.

“I’ve been clear from the start that we wanted to be bold in our ambition to make our schools phone free environments that enable our teachers to teach and pupils to learn without the distraction of devices in the classroom.

“The uniform introduction of lockable pouches in all our secondary schools will level the playing field for all learners in Edinburgh, streamlining a phone free schools policy and guaranteeing that every single young person can get the most out of their time in the classroom.

“We know from the two pilots already underway that keeping phones out of the classroom is positive and alongside our consultation showing broad support from teachers, school staff and parents/carers, I am confident that these restrictions will be warmly welcomed and hugely impactful.”

TUC: ‘Huge support’ for Government’s plan to make work pay

The landmark Employment Rights Bill is ‘vote winner’

Voters in every constituency overwhelmingly support key measures to strengthen workers’ rights, according to new polling published by the TUC and Hope Not Hate today.

In recent months, there has been criticism of the Bill from Conservative and Reform politicians and parts of the business lobby.

But this polling decisively proves that those opponents are a world away from the views of the British public.

The public wants stronger worker protections

The poll of over 21,000 people reveals huge backing across the country and across the political spectrum –  including with Reform and Conservative voters – for key policies in the Bill. The poll shows:  

  • Banning zero hours contracts by giving workers a contract that reflects their regular hours: More than 7 in 10 (72%) of UK voters support a ban on zero hours contracts – including 2 in 3 Reform (65%) and Conservative (63%) voters from the 2024 general election support banning zero hours contracts. The figure is even higher with those saying they would vote Conservative (65%) and Reform (67%) if there was a general election held tomorrow. Just 15% oppose the policy.  
  • Giving all workers statutory sick pay from day one: 3 in 4 (74%) voters support giving all workers the right to statutory sick pay, and ensuring it is paid from the first day – including 2 in 3 Reform (64%) and Conservative (62%) voters from the 2024 general election. The figure is even higher with those saying they would vote Conservative (65%) and Reform (66%) if there was a general election held tomorrow. Just 14 % oppose the policy.
  • Giving all workers protection from unfair dismissal from day one: 3 in 4 (73%) voters support giving all workers protection from unfair dismissal from the first day in the job – including 2 in 3 Reform (62%) and Conservative (62%) voters from the 2024 general election. The figure is even higher with those saying they would vote Conservative (65%) and Reform (64%) if there was a general election held tomorrow. Just 14% oppose the policy.  
  • Making it easier for people to have flexibility in their patterns or hours of work: 3 in 4 (74%) voters support making it easier to work flexibly – including 2 in 3 Reform (63%) and Conservative (64%) voters from the 2024 general election. The figure is even higher with those saying they would vote Conservative (67%) and Reform (65%) if there was a general election held tomorrow. Just 12% oppose the policy. 

Break down by constituency level 

The poll breaks down to constituency level – and reveals that voters in every single constituency are behind the Bill’s flagship policies.

Click on the interactive map below to see how each constituency voted. Use the search field to find your constituency, and the drop-down menu at the top to view data for each policy.

https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/21515919/embed?auto=1

A Flourish map

Reform is defying its own voters on workers’ rights

Interestingly, the new poll shows the measures the government is taking through Parliament are hugely popular with Reform voters from 2024 as well as Reform-leaning voters (those who would vote Reform if there was an election tomorrow).

In every Reform-held constituency, including in Reform leader Nigel Farage’s seat, there is significant support for banning zero hours contracts and giving sick pay to everyone from day one.  

And yet Reform MPs have voted against the Bill at every stage. The party are defying their own voters and constituents on workers’ rights. This proves beyond doubt that Nigel Farage and Reform aren’t on the side of working people – they’re on the side of bad bosses, zero hours contracts and fire and rehire.

Labour, Conservative, Green and Lib Dem voters also significantly back the policies. It’s clear that the Employment Rights Bill is that rare thing –  a policy which is genuinely popular across traditional party lines.

Time for change

After the failed Conservative era of a low-rights, low-pay, and low-growth economy, voters can see the importance of making work pay and ending the scourge of insecure work.

That’s why the government must ignore the noise and deliver the Employment Rights Bill in full.  

Improving job quality and putting more money into people’s pockets is an urgent national mission and a key plank of the government’s wider plan to grow the economy. Those who defend the broken status quo are simply putting their own vested interests above working people.

Voters across the political spectrum want work to pay and to feel secure and respected in their jobs. The government has a historic opportunity – and an electoral mandate – to make work pay. The plan to make work pay is hugely popular, and this poll should give ministers the confidence to deliver it in full.