BBCSchools that banned smartphone use have become “more sociable,” the principal said.
At the beginning of this school year, St Swithans School in Winchester banned students in Years 7 to 11 from using phones during lessons.
This follows a campaign by the Smartphone Free Child group calling for a national ban on phones in schools.
Headteacher Jane Gandy said she was “concerned” about the impact phone use was having on pupils’ mental health.
St Swithans, an independent girls’ school, has introduced a system using specially designed pouches with time locks.
This allows students to keep their phones, but only use them if the time lock is opened.
Previously, the school allowed students to access their phones during lunch breaks.
“We could see that they were getting message after message and it was taking them away from the normal routine of the day,” Gandhi said.
“They weren’t keeping their heads down and talking to each other, so I thought I had to act now before their brains were completely rewired.
“They don’t seem to take their phones as seriously as they used to.
“I definitely think it’s a more social school with more visibility and people interacting.”
Among students, opinions about banning phones were generally positive.
“Mobile phones are a distraction and make you lose focus, especially when your GCSEs are coming up so you can focus on revising,” one person said.
Another said: “Maybe you should play more sports or socialize with your friends instead of being on your phone. But if you have time for yourself and still use social media or contact your parents… I think it’s really important to be able to do that.”
The Smartphone Free Childhood group’s Parent Pact has more than 58,000 parents pledging not to give their children smartphones until they finish ninth grade.
The group estimates that only 11% of schools have effective bans on smartphones.
“These are adult devices, not designed for children,” said the group’s co-founder, Hampshire mother Claire Fernihough.
“We need to stop, take a step back and say, ‘Is this what we want?'”
Clinical psychologist Angarad Rudkin said while more research was needed into the educational impact of banning smartphones in schools, parents had a “very important job” in guiding their children’s relationship with technology. said.
“Teachers can tweak it a little bit, but they can never change what the screen does. Parents need to do that from the first day their child has access to a screen,” she said. said.
Although the government did not ban smartphones, The guidance was issued by the previous Conservative government To ensure that all schools in England implement effective smartphone ban restrictions.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said last week: The school has voluntarily chosen to limit its use By the students.
