Q. What is your policy on staff mobile phones? We currently ask staff to leave them in the staff room while they are with the children. Some staff nip in to check their phones, and others are now reading messages on their smart watches. I’m worried about them being distracted from their work, but also safeguarding issues.
Roxanne Gregory, nursery operations and training manager, Abbotswood Day Nursery
‘We ask staff to leave their phones in a transparent box in the office when they come in for the day. They can come and get it on their lunch break, but have to sign it out, then back in again when they return it. That is a good way for us to monitor that their phones are not with them. The rule is the same for managers too – we give out our landline number and expect people to call that if they want to speak to management.
‘If staff need to check their phones, they have to do that in the office. If they are expecting an urgent call, they can leave their phone on the desk in the office and we can answer for them and go to get them.
‘Every few months we ask staff to re-read our policies, including phone and smart watch policies. We do allow our team to wear smart watches, but we ask them to turn off the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. We trust them to do that – we don’t check. You have to have some trust and also rely on other members of staff to come and tell you if anyone is breaching our policies.
‘The same policies extend to anyone working onsite, such as workers from outside agencies, or builders. We tell themthey must keep their phones in their vehicle or in the office. We explain that they cannot use their mobile phones around children, and people tend to understand immediately. It has never been a problem.’
Michelle Wigmore, head, Chiltern Nursery and Training College
‘Our policy recognises the benefits and dangers of the internet and that we have a duty to support staff, families and children to remain safe.
‘Each staff member is provided with a locker where all digital devices are stored. They can access these during their lunch break, when they can only use them in designated areas. We have signage up to tell staff where these are, completely away from the children. We expect our families to do the same and remind parents not to use digital devices at drop-off and pick-up.
‘In recent years, smart watches and fitness trackers have really taken off. We deem these as digital devices so we have written into our policy that staff cannot wear these in the rooms as they can connect to their phones and the internet.
‘An important part of making sure staff adhere to policies is building trust. A good way to do this is to get them involved in writing policies and procedures. For example, at the moment we’re reviewing our staff wellbeing policy and I have put together a group of staff wellbeing champions to support me.
‘Our senior management team does a daily walk around and we have a list of questions we ask staff randomly, which cover all of our policies. We’ve found that helps support reflective and positive practice.’
Leonie Butler, nursery manager, Montessori Minds
‘With our mobile phone policy, our main priority is a commitment to safeguarding. We intend to create an environment that prevents staff being distracted from their work, and stops inappropriate use of phones or smart watches.
‘We have a compartment in the office where each staff member can leave their phone with their name on it. We do spot checks to make sure staff adhere to this. Staff can use their phones in the office or the staff room. If any team member is expecting an urgent call, with their permission we answer the call for them, then go to get them. In exceptional circumstances, we’ll ask them to share the office landline number.
‘We tell staff that this approach is also for their protection, otherwise they could face allegations. We bring it back to the case of Vanessa George, who served a ten-year prison sentence after being found guilty of sexual assault and making and distributing indecent pictures of children.
‘When it comes to smart watches, we realise there are health benefits to staff to wearing these as long as they disable the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
‘Staff do not challenge these policies. When we interview candidates, one of our questions is about why we prohibit phones. Ninety per cent of people understand the reasons.’
