SECONDARY school children across East Lancashire are being warned against taking mobile telephones to school after some students began taking calls in class.

Headteachers throughout the area have acted simultaneously to ban pupils from using the the 90s gadgets in school as the number of people owning them rocketed over the Christmas period.

Rival companies have slashed the cost of owning a mobile phone in a price war, and many young people received them as presents.

At Towneley High School, Burnley, the problem with children taking calls in class was raised by the student council after other pupils expressed concerns about mobiles ringing and disrupting lessons.

Headteacher David Hinks said: "The student council, which is chaired by the head girl and head boy here, raised the concern with me after a meeting with representatives from every year group in November.

"I think pupils had received mobiles for Christmas early and had them with them in school, switched on, and they were going off in class.

"They are now in the same bracket as things like personal stereos in that they are allowed in school but they must be switched off in class. "Like someone found messing around with a personal stereo in class, they will be confiscated. It is a disruption."

Vicki Devonport, deputy head at Moorland High School, Darwen, said: "Because of the bumper number of mobile phones being sold we have experienced over a period of time an increasing number of students bringing them into school.

"We have now made a decision at management level that they are not permitted and will be informing parents of that in the newsletter.

"We can do without wasting time investigating if they go missing and the inconvenience involved if a child leaves it switched on and it goes off in class.

"We have not had any such incidents yet but if they are on the premises that is always a risk."

At Ivy Bank High School, Burnley, headteacher Stephen Ball is also urging children not to bring them into school after four pupils were found with mobile telephones in class.

He said: "There are 950 pupils at this school but we became aware that four pupils had mobile telephones in school, which represents a very small number.

"They have been advised that it is inappropriate to have them and we are writing to parents in the next newsletter to tell them they must not be brought into school,

"We have not had any ringing in class but we are acting now as a preventative step."

Heather Jamison,headteacher of Pleckgate High School, Blackburn, added: "Our policy here is that they are not allowed in school, although if a pupil travelled a very long way each day we might make an exception.

"We have had children bringing them into school but only two in the last two years."

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