PRIMARY schools in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire have no plans to introduce a ban on mobile phones – despite calls from politicians to impose one.

The Scottish Conservatives claim stopping pupils from having the devices could improve their performance in school and reduce educational inequality.

The Tories are also calling for headteachers to impose restrictions on them in high schools.

Previous guidance from Scottish ministers concluded it was “unreasonable and impractical” to impose a ban on mobiles in schools.

Despite these calls, both Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire councils have confirmed they encourage the use of mobile technology – but urge pupils to do this responsibly.

A Renfrewshire Council spokesman said: “All Renfrewshire schools follow the Scottish Government guidance promoting the safe and responsible use of mobile technology.

“This means pupils benefit from using mobile technology for learning and teaching purposes and provides security to parents while ensuring their use is not disruptive or inappropriate.

“All phones should be switched off within a classroom and no photographing or recording of sound or images is permissible on the school premises or on school transport.”

A East Renfrewshire Council spokeswoman said: “With the recent roll out of ‘bring your own device’ to schools across East Renfrewshire, pupils are actively encouraged to utilise this as it can play an important part in their continuous learning and development.

“However, all schools have a policy which defines ‘responsible use’ of mobile devices whilst at school.

“Pupils, staff and parents are involved in supporting the development of the policy and are made aware of the sanctions which will be applied if parameters are exceeded.”

Academics at the London School of Economics found schools which restrict access to mobile phones “subsequently experience an improvement in test scores”.

They also found banning phones “improves outcomes for the low-achieving students the most”.

Jackson Carlaw, Eastwood Conservative MSP, said: “The Scottish Government needs to revise its outdated guidance to our teachers on the use of mobile phones in schools.

“Many teachers want stronger powers to remove phones from some pupils who are persistently distracted by them in class – although the majority do use phones sensibly.”