Pupils should be forced to hand over their mobiles before entering the classroom, after councils recorded thousands of incidents of children being disciplined in relation to phone use. Research by the Scottish Conservatives has shown there were more than 2,000 instances of youngsters being disciplined for using phones in school over the past three years. The true figure is likely to be significantly higher, with many local authorities failing to collect information on the issue. The Scottish Conservatives have now called on pupils to be forced to give up their devices before going into class. They would then receive them back at break time and before going home. The party said this would be a more proportionate response rather than an outright ban, adding it would go some way to addressing cheating in the classroom, unnecessary distractions and the issue of cyber bullying. A Freedom of Information request has revealed pupils were punished on 2,175 occasions since 2010/11, based on the responses from a third of Scottish Councils. Although there were a handful of exclusions and suspensions, the bulk of cases were dealt with by more moderate measures such as formal warnings of punishment exercises. In one case, in the Western Isles, a pupil was disciplined for “using a mobile phone inappropriately to take a photograph of an incident between two pupils”. It was revealed earlier this year that more than 100 pupils had their exam results scrapped after being caught cheating with a mobile phone. Local authorities have also been urged to improve the way they collect data in relation to mobile phone use by children. Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Mary Scanlon MSP said: “In the classroom, the priority for everyone has to be the lesson in hand. “It is simply too easy for a pupils to access a mobile phone in their pocket, distracting themselves and others in the process. “This is something parents and teachers want to see us get tough on – it should very much be the norm that mobile phones are handed over at the classroom door. “An outright ban on phones from school premises would be excessive, particularly as children may need to contact parents at home time. “But we have to learn to use technology responsibly. “It can be a great learning tool, but it can also be hugely damaging. “Children must learn to use phones in the right way, not view them as a permanent commodity they cannot live without. “The figures here are only the tip of the iceberg, and given mobile phones are becoming more and more commonplace, I would urge councils to try and improve the way they monitor phone use in the classroom.” Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife said: “The fact that we have seen 298 cases in Perth & Kinross and over 1500 case in Fife of incidents of children being disciplined in relation to phone use is unacceptable and must be addressed. “I have written to Perth & Kinross Council and Fife Council to ask them review the current guidelines and asked for the Council to investigate pupils being asked to give up their devices before going into class.”