*Phone pouches at St Flannan’s College.
ONE THIRD of secondary schools in Clare have introduced magnetic phone pouches, preventing students from using their mobile phones during the school day.
By Amy Copley
St Joseph’s Spanish Point were the first secondary school in Clare to introduce magnetic phone pouches in 2022.
Now, in 2026 it is now one of six schools along with St Flannan’s College, St Caimin’s Community School, St Joseph’s Tulla, Mary Immaculate Secondary School while Scariff Community College have it rolled out to first year students.
In November 2024, then Education Minister Norma Foley (FF) came under fire when €9m was allocated in the Budget to support the provision of magnetic pouches in schools to prevent the use of smartphones by students during the school day. New school guidance was issued in June by Minister for Education, Helen McEntee (FG) which allows for varying kinds of phone storage solutions such as lockable boxes, cubby holes or drop off and collection at the school office.
Two thirds of secondary schools in the county have yet to implement the pouches, lockable boxes or cubby holes for smartphones, namely Colaiste Muire, Rice College Ennis, Ennis Community College, Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, Ennistymon Community College, St Patrick’s Comprehensive in Shannon, St John Bosco Community College Kildysart, St Anne’s Community College in Killaloe, Kilrush Community School, St Joseph’s Community College in Kilkee and St Michael’s Community College.
Both St Anne’s Community College and St Michael’s Community College have confirmed their plans to introduce the phone pouches.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, principal of St Joseph’s Spanish Point, Paul Reidy outlined that they have experienced very positive effects since introducing the pouches to address mobile phone usage within the school. A school-wide survey found that the average student’s screen time was six hours a day and they received up to ten notifications in twenty minutes. “Students had become so dependent on it, they weren’t pushed to have a conversation with people, they didn’t want to, they didn’t have to”.
He continued, “We had surveyed parents before we began and we were asking them do you want your children to leave their phones at home, and that was very strong from parents that didn’t from a safety point of view”. The school then decided that the mobile phone pouches “was kind of a halfway” between what parents and the school wanted.
Sixth year student in Spanish Point, Lucy O’Keeffe admitted, “it did take a while to adjust to it, I honestly found it kind of annoying for the first while, but it genuinely only took a week or two to get into it and I didn’t care anymore”. Now nearly four years later, Lucy states, “I prefer them to be locked away because I actually get the chance to talk to people and communicate”.
Both Mr Reidy and Lucy can see the changes it has made to their school, especially with the engagement students now have with not only each other but every aspect of student life. Lucy said the magnetic pouches has helped her to “make loads of new friends” and how immediate the effects were such as seeing students outside truly connecting.
Inside the classroom, Paul feels that the magnetic phone pouches have “helped develop a greater level of respect” between students and teachers. “If your phone is seen out and about it’s taken, so there can be no grey area, it is just not acceptable to be seen with your phone now here in the school. Schools have a responsibility to create a window in the day where students have a break, it’s actually a break from their phone as opposed to restricting them”.
