Mobile phones set to be locked up in schools across Edinburgh
Plus: Edinburgh leapfrogs Dublin to be most expensive city for hotel accommodation in Europe
Schools across the Capital set to restrict pupils’ mobile phone use
Pupils are set to have their mobile phones locked up in schools across Edinburgh after the move won broad support in a massive consultation excercise.
The restrictions will apply in primary and secondary schools from August under plans expected to be approved by city councillors on Tuesday, 9 June. The move follows a consultation in which nearly 14,000 parents, pupils and staff took part.
It is expected to minimise classroom disruption from distracting notifications as well as incidents of filming of bullying. About a third of pupils admitted to being distracted by phones in almost every lesson in a Scotland-wide study in 2022.
How will it work? In primary schools, pupils’ phones will be locked up in cabinets for the whole school day, leaving them free to use them on the way to and from school. In secondaries, lockable pouches will be used, with pupils likely to be allowed to access them during lunch times and breaks.
Lockable pouches? Bob Dylan fans had to agree to lock up their mobiles in Yondr pouches at his concert at the Usher Hall last year. They work in a similar way to anti-theft tags in supermarkets. Once phones are placed inside, the pouches are clamped shut by a powerful magnet, until they are tapped on an unlocking base.
Won’t kids find ways around it? There are anecdotal stories of pupils finding ways around the rules, such as using second “burner" phones. However, it is generally agreed to have worked pretty well at the two high schools which have piloted the system in Edinburgh, Portobello and Queensferry.
How much will it cost? The city council has set aside £400,000 to cover the cost of cabinets and pouches. Some schools may ask parents who are able to make a contribution towards the pouches.
‘Pupils talk more’: Edinburgh has learned from the experience in Moray where similar restrictions have been pioneered. There, education officials report “evidence that young people are talking more to each other”, while some schools have started “putting games out at lunchtime”.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
PREMIUM CAPITAL: Edinburgh has leapfrogged Dublin to become the most expensive city for hotel accommodation in Europe, according to the Post Office’s City Costs Barometer. A weekend (two nights) for two people in three star accommodation in the Capital costs an average £462, edging out Barcelona (£457) and Dublin (£445). Taking the overall cost of a stay into account, including food, drink and entertainment, Edinburgh was third highest in Europe at £668, behind Copenhagen (£670) and Oslo (a whopping £734). Last year, Dublin had the most expensive hotels (£411), but a 15% price rise has seen Edinburgh rise to top - or sink to the bottom? - of the league. Tourism and hospitality in Scotland have been among the hardest hit sector by rising costs, ranging from increased taxes, such as employers National Insurance Contributions, to higher wages and utility bills.
FRINGE CROWDS: Last year, it was Oasis and AC/DC who brought tens of thousands of fans to Murrayfield during the Fringe. This summer it will be Newcastle United and Everton who will play a pre-season friendly there on Wednesday 12 August (followed by a Bon Jovi concert on the final Friday). The fixture has fueled speculation among Newcastle fans that the club might look to play its home Premier League fixtures at Murrayfield in the event it presses ahead with a major expansion of St James’ Park.
FRINGE APPEAL: Comedian Tim Minchin has donated £10,000 to help launch a fund operated by Fringe promoters Gilded Balloon to support artists struggling with the rising costs of appearing at the festival.
ELPH TRIBUTES: Tributes have been paid to Brian McFeely, the street artist Elph whose works adorn buildings across the Capital, following his unexpected death. He was described as “the Edinburgh Banksy” in a family post announcing the sad news.
WATER WARNING: Beach-goers are once again being advised to stay out of the sea due to poor water quality along the Firth of Forth. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued the advice for Dunbar’s East Beach as “a precautionary measure”.
LESS BANGS FOR YOUR BUCK: Firework control zones look set to be spread further across the city this year after being credited with helping ease problems in several areas around last Bonfire Night. Councillors will be asked to approve plans which will take the total number of control areas to 14 - Calton Hill, Balerno, Niddrie, Seafield, Corstorphine, Liberton Grange, Lochend, Longstone, Moredun, Sighthill/Broomhouse, Stenhouse/Gaskell Street, The Murrays, West Pilton and Wester Hailes - when they meet on Monday, 8 June.
CHURCH SALE: Ballet dancer turned arts impresario Peter Schauffus has put the landmark St Stephen’s Church in Stockbridge up for sale for offers over £3 million. He had previously used the building as a Fringe venue including for a sell-out run of Hamlet performances by Ian McKellen. The A-listed church’s previous owners include Grand Theft Auto video game creator Leslie Benzies.
BLOOMING MARVELOUS: A philanthropist based in the United States has donated £500,000 to help launch an ambitious garden project at Newhailes House in Musselburgh. The gift is one of the largest ever received by the National Trust for Scotland and will support a £4.8m restoration of the estates gardens, including new community and education spaces.
WALKING FOR CHAS: A team of 22 colleagues from leading Edinburgh-based law firm Brodies LLP will take on a 67km stretch of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage walk in Spain in three days in early June to raise money for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) which provides care for children who may die young and their families.
EDINBURGH’S ‘WEMBLEY WAY’: The Royal Highland Centre aims to create a “Wembley Way-style” link to a new tram stop as part of expansion plans. The venue has enjoyed growing success as an outdoor concerts and events destination, staging immersive Van Gogh and Monet exhibitions alongside the Summer Sessions pop concerts which relocated from Princes Street Gardens. The proposed expansion includes creating a boulevard lined with hotels, restaurants, bars and shops as a new main entrance route, managing director Mark Currie told The Herald.
LE JOY MAKERS: Tour de France organisers are looking for volunteers - to be known as “joy makers” - to take part in the Grand Depart when it comes to Edinburgh and Midlothian next summer.
DOOCOT DELIGHT: The restoration of the Preston Tower, Doocot and Gardens, in Prestonpans, East Lothian, has been named among the ten best ‘new’ buildings in Scotland by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). Edinburgh University’s Futures Institute and Usher Building at the Bioquarter are also on the shortlist.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
City on track for South Sub boost
Edinburgh is on track - albeit early stage - for a “quick win” to reduce congestion, improve public transport and boost the economy.
Campaigning group Tram Trains for Edinburgh are optimistic that a Scottish Government-funded feasibility study into re-opening the city’s south suburban rail line for tram-trains is moving much closer.
Group Chair Rob Falcon was encouraged that city councillors agreed an amended SNP Group motion pressing the Scottish Government to fund a South Sub feasibility study, in line with their manifesto promise, and that positive noises appear to be emanating from the corridors of power at Holyrood.
The council confirmed its strong support for the project, and have written to new Scottish Transport Minister Stephen Flynn to provide funds within the next six months. Reports indicate that the Government is minded to act quickly on the issue.
the Tram Trains for Edinburgh Chair maintains that in comparison to many transport projects, which would be years in the making, the South Sub represents a ‘quick win’.
They point out that the project is well defined, based on an existing rail route, likely to demonstrate a positive benefit/cost ratio and an opportunity to get ‘shovels in the ground’ soon. Falcon added that the latest moves were “a further milestone in getting this project done for the benefit of the city and the wider Lothian region.”
The South Sub is separate from the larger tram extension project which is, as yet, not funded.
PLANNING REFORM: Housebuilding industry group Homes for Scotland maintains latest planning statistics for Scotland – with major housing applications down 38% as timescales remain more than twice the statutory target – highlight the need for faster and clearer planning reform. The group points out that the number of applications for smaller developments has also fallen. Kevin Murphy, Director of Planning at sector body Homes for Scotland (HFS), whose members deliver the majority of the country’s new homes of all tenures, said the figures “are another clear reminder that the planning system must be enabled to support the delivery of more homes of all tenure.”
SPIRIT BOUGHT: Media buying agency Spirit Media Scotland, based in Leith, has been bought by E&B Holdings, which is based mainly in London, reports Daily Business. Spirit, which has a significant and established client list in Scotland, will continue to operate and is seen as having significant growth potential.
CONFIDENCE GROWS: Scottish companies are reporting greater optimism. Business confidence in Scotland rose two points during May to 50%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds. Almost a third of businesses say they expect to increase staffing levels, although that number shows a slight fall on the previous month. AI, investing in staff training, and evolving their products or services are all rates as high priorities.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
HITTING THE HEIGHTS: Once again a mass reenactment of Kate Bush’s ethereal Wuthering Heights video promises to be one of the highlights of the Meadows Festival. There is of course a packed programme of other entertainment across Saturday and Sunday, but you can catch all the Kates off Melville Drive at some point between 4pm and 5pm on Saturday. And you can read all about them here.
OPENING THE DOOR: The unique Hidden Door Festival returns to the Paper Factory on the western edge of the city from Wednesday to Saturday. If you missed Will Quinn’s guide to what to expect, published on Saturday, you can catch up with it here.
SEASIDE CULTURE: New work by Emmy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Erland Cooper, Blur star Alex James’ Britpop Classical and the Tinderbox Orchestra with Kathryn Joseph are among the highlights of this summer’s Fringe by the Sea. The North Berwick festival has announced its full lineup for 31 July to 9 August, which also includes Belle & Sebastian and comedian Lou Sanders and writers Maggie O’Farrell and Doug Johnstone.
QUICK BITES
TATTY BUYS: Baked potato brand SpudBros is set to open its first Scottish restaurant in Edinburgh this summer. The company, which has built its brand on social media, will launch its new venue on Lothian Road in July as part of a wider Scottish expansion plan.
CAFÉ CLOSED: The eponymous Argyle Place café in Marchmont has shut its doors for the final time. The team announced the closure on social media, saying the doors would close for good yesterday “after six years.”