Mobile phones in the classroom have been the bane of teachers' lives. But now, after years of battling text-messaging pupils, teachers may find they too need to check their phones during lessons.
From next month, the whole of the national curriculum in England will be available by mobile. By signing up to an online service, teachers will be able to download sections of the curriculum via PC or mobile.
A spokesperson for Infocube.net, the company behind the initiative, said there was no reason why this could not be extended to Scotland. It was simply a matter of converting Scottish curricular documents to its database.
Infocube believes it is the first to provide access to an entire curriculum from one site. It has spent pound;1 million on a database that Raymond Winter, its chair, believes will provide a pocket-sized solution to every curriculum emergency.
Mr Winter said: "If they have their phones with them, they can get the information whenever they need. It's instant gratification."
The site offers primary and secondary curricula. Initially, nine curriculum areas, history, geography, music, science, art, design, technology, PE and RE will be available. English, maths and languages are not included, but should be in future.
Teachers receive unlimited access for a one-off fee of pound;24.95.
Alternatively, schools can pay pound;19.95 per teacher, plus a pound;100 monthly upgrade fee for any changes. A pupil version is available, excluding teachers' resources, for pound;10.95.
Sheila Marsh, a key stage 2 and 3 teacher at Penworthan girls' school, near Preston, is unconvinced. "Teachers aren't the most technologically up to date people," she says. "And you can't leave your phone on during lessons, anyway."