The ongoing debate of whether children should use mobile phones in the classroom shows no signs of abating.

Leading independent head teachers have reportedly said that banning mobile phones in schools is pointless.

However, according to a recent study published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, the test scores of students aged 16 improved by 6.4 per cent after schools banned mobile phones.

With over 90 per cent of teenagers in the UK owning a mobile phone, it is relevant to ask whether a ban on mobile phones in the classroom exhibits a Luddite attitude to technology.

While it can be argued modern technology is used in the classroom to engage students and improve performance, the distractions are ever prevalent. Can a teacher effectively police students to ensure they don’t use mobile phones for social media purposes?

Pleckgate High School student Aisha Seedat said: “I don’t support using mobile phones in the classroom. They’re definitely a distraction. If you have your phone out on the desk you’ll be more tempted to use it during the lesson and go on things like Instagram and Snapchat.

“Also people would be tempted to play music while they work which reduces concentration levels.”

Humaira Mahmood said: “During my assessments as a trainee teacher at Blackburn College in the Fashion and Textiles Department, I found the use of mobile phones to be more of a hindrance.

“Students were constantly updating their social media and responding to text messages.

“I can see no benefit to using mobile phones while at school or college.

“During my four-week assessment, I found mobile phones to have a disruptive influence and its use led to low levels of motivation amongst the learners.

“From my experience, mobile phones in the classroom have an adverse effect on learning.”