With State governments around the country having their say on the hot topic of mobile phone bans in public school classrooms, the need for schools to provide secure, well-designed school lockers is now more important than ever. Such high quality and sturdy storage solutions ensure that students’ valuables remain safe and secure.
For many school children, it’s not an option to leave their mobile phone at home because they frequently use it to communicate with parents before and after school and in times of emergency.
Given that today’s smartphones are generally high-value items, school administrators need to choose carefully when selecting new storage solutions and school lockers, and ensure that what they chose are well-designed heavy duty solutions that are built to last and designed to endure. Indeed, in 2020 and beyond, school lockers no longer only secure students’ bags, but also essential technology tools carrying personal information.
A state by state approach to mobile phones in schools
Each state is taking a slightly different approach to how they handle the banning of mobile devices in public school classrooms. Currently, in Tasmania and Victoria, no public school student may have a phone in their possession during the school day. Instead, students must turn off their phones and keep them locked away.
Primary students at public schools in Western Australia are not allowed to have phones at school, but high school students can have a phone on them as long as it’s neither seen nor heard.
NSW has taken a more direct approach, outright banning phones for primary students but leaving it to individual secondary schools to institute their own policies. In South Australia, phones aren’t banned yet, but the Liberal government has been reported as being open to the idea.
State governments in Queensland, the ACT, and the Northern Territory, on the other hand, have all stood firm in allowing individual schools discretion about how they enforce digital policies.
When choosing the best school lockers, emphasise durability
Premier Lockers provides a range of different locker types suitable for use in schools. Chinchilla Christian College in Queensland has invested in lockers in recent years and has enjoyed the many benefits of having new school lockers available to students. The school, located northwest of Brisbane, has purchased the Premier Two Door Steel Lockers each year for the last four years as student numbers climbed at their secondary campus.
“I have found them to be an ideal solution for the storage and security of our students’ books, laptops, and bags,” says Chinchilla Christian College staff member Mark Cantwell. “They are well made and stand up to the rigours of school life comfortably. I would gladly recommend these lockers to anyone who may be considering purchasing [school lockers].”
As well as storing mobile phones, schools that invest in top quality lockers are able to provide safe storage for many other valuable school essentials such as musical instruments, textbooks, sports equipment, and laptop computers. It also saves students having to lug these items around all day. Indeed, there are many reasons why schools should provide lockers for their students.
Above and beyond just storing items, school lockers also help to promote good hygiene – something that has been starkly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even after we move on from the pandemic, responsible hygiene practices will remain a key focus for schools. One simple way to do this is by reducing the number of items that enter the classroom from outside environments. Investing in new school lockers can definitely help promote good hygiene practices.
What to look for in a quality school locker
School lockers simply need to be tougher than lockers in other environments; quality, sturdy design matters when students are roughly treating their lockers. When researching school lockers for sale online, be sure to emphasise quality design and quality build.
Not all lockers are created equal, and investing in quality lockers from a long-serving and proven Australian locker supplier will pay dividends over time. At Premier Lockers we have a wide range of school lockers in a large range of sizes and colours. We regularly work with schools Australia-wide to supply their locker needs from our offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
Premier Lockers offers school lockers for sale for every category and in a variety of finishes and we have supplied lockers to some of Australia’s largest organisations. View our lockers now, or call us on 1300 202 557 to speak directly with our team.