Condell Park High Principal Susie Mobayed reveals benefits of two-decade old no-phone rule
A Sydney school has seen a dramatic drop in violent incidents, years after it banned students from having phones on school grounds. See the school’s plan as part of the Class War series.
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One Sydney school has become the accidental trendsetter of the government’s no-phone policy, although it doesn’t want a pat on the back for reducing school violence.
Condell Park High School moved to ban mobiles in 2007 in response to burgeoning issues with the handhelds. The policy has been a success and the state government announced in March it would follow suit, banning mobiles from classrooms across the state from October.
Principal Susie Mobayed explained the move was never intended to become a statewide trailblazer.
“We kept it quiet, none of us have ever thought we’re at the forefront of anything,’ Ms Mobayed said.
“But we’ve always known it was what was best for our school.”
It’s been a process of “readjust-readjust” and Ms Mobayed said they’d now perfected the art, with a trolley containing named plastic bags and tubs for students to drop off their iPhones and Androids.
“It’s become the norm, but it was very important to ensure we had parents on side,” she said.
In sensitive NSW Cabinet documents seen by this publication, the rising number of schoolyard violence was revealed. However, while not immune to the occasional incident – no school ever is – Condell Park’s “safe, vibrant atmosphere” was “100 per cent” down in part to the no-phone policy.
“We, like every school, still have those incidents,” Ms Mobayed said.
The principal said disagreements between students and argie-bargie during a soccer game happened everywhere, but she’d rather they addressed issues in person than via social media, and that any incidents didn’t end up there after.
“It’s never serious, it may come when kids are kicking a soccer ball and there’s a push,” she said.
“And that’s not a bad thing. We want our students to learn how to deal with those sorts of situations, have an argument face-to-face, talk to one another – that’s priceless.”
When asked if the state government’s plans to roll out the policy statewide in October affirmed her move, Ms Mobayed said – given the inherent demands of a school day – there was little time to take stock.
“We are super excited it will become legislation,” she said.
“When the premier and deputy came in we of course had a little pat on the back, but then you have to forget about it the next day.
“And we’ve never lost a single phone!”
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