Academy chain with 35,000 pupils becomes the first in England to ban mobiles at its 42 schools - saying phones have been catastrophic for childrens mental health
Around 35,000 pupils at primary and secondary schools across England will be unable to take their smartphones into class with them after the managing group running the institutions imposed a smartphone ban.
Around 35,000 pupils at primary and secondary schools across England will be unable to take their smartphones into class with them after the managing group running the institutions imposed a smartphone ban.
The Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT) says it is introducing the rules because of the overwhelming relationship between excessive smartphone usage and poor mental health amongst the young, according to its boss.
Tom Rees, chief executive, says his teachers have seen huge and real concerns about how their pupils are using their phones - with a clear correlation between mental health issues and heavy use of social media.
It came after Eton banned smartphones and gave pupils Nokia dumbphones, while Ark Alexandra Academy in Hastings has taken the altogether more drastic step of imposing a total phone ban on its grounds.
The plan will affect eight of the groups secondary academies in the first instance, with the remaining 24 secondaries following suit after consulting with parents.
Pupils at more than 40 schools run by an academies trust will be banned from using their smartphones during the day (stock photograph)
Tom Rees, chief executive of the Ormiston Academies Trust, said there was overwhelming evidence linking excessive smartphone use with poor mental health among the young
Recent studies have suggested a fifth of British teenagers have a problematic relationship with their mobile phone (stock photograph)
OAT already bans smartphones at its other schools, which include primary, additional needs and alternative provision schools.
Mr Rees told The Guardian, which first reported on the plan: Not all mobile phone use is equal and the relationship between that and adolescent mental health, we think, is overwhelming.
There is a responsibility for society to respond and a responsibility for schools to make it harder for children to access inappropriate content through the school day and restrict the draw of social media.
Images published by the newspaper show how pupils smartphones are placed into plastic boxes labelled with teachers names and locked away in a wooden cabinet in a school office.
Mr Rees added that immediate access to smartphones was ultimately proving a distraction to malleable young minds.
He said: Theres evidence that tells us that even if your phone is in the same room, your brain is leaking attention... That is impacting young peoples ability to learn. An increasing distraction is catastrophic for the process of learning.
A British study published last month suggested a fifth of teenagers have a problematic relationship with their phone - and that those who use their device to excess are more likely to have anxiety, depression or insomnia.
The authors, a group of experts from Kings College London, say many young people are desperate to wean themselves away from their phones - and suggest turning off notifications or even leaving phones in another room.
OATs move comes as governments around the world mull over whether to impose restrictions on young peoples access to the internet.
On Tuesday, the Australian government promised to introduce legislation this year to enforce a minimum age for children to access social media.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would soon trial age verification technology with a view to banning children from opening social media accounts. The line would be drawn between the ages of 14 and 16.
The Netherlands has banned phones, tablets and smartwatches from classrooms, while the French government is trialling the surrender of smartphones by pupils until the end of the school day.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said he was looking very closely at the Australian experience.
He told BBC Radio 4: (Smartphone usage) is making some young people increasingly vulnerable. We dont have yet much evidence about what action makes a big difference in response or is indeed effective.
So Im looking very closely at the Australian experience and Im open-minded. I would do anything to keep young people safe.
In February, the Department for Education (DfE) issued guidance which said we owe it to our children to do what we can to remove distractions and enable them to be fully present and engaged in the classroom.
We also owe it to our pupils to keep them safe at school, then Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said, adding one in five pupils had experienced bullying online while one in three said phones are used in the majority of lessons without permission.
However, the guidance is just that - advice that schools are not legally required to follow, meaning many have done little to combat phone use in class.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) has pledged to introduce legislation limiting young peoples access to social media
Other countries are also considering legislation that could see smartphone access banned in classrooms (stock photograph)
Ark Alexandra Academy has vowed to use airport-style metal detector wands on pupils to ensure they arent using phones - with the threat of confiscation for a month looming over any child who dares to bring their device in.
School bosses have suggested concerned parents who want to know their childs whereabouts tag their young ones with GPS trackers instead - but the move has not impressed some.
One concerned single parent told the Argus: My daughter is in year nine and has special educational needs.
She sometimes has trouble getting to and from school and my concerns are I wont be on the end of the phone to give her some reassurance.
I think its horrifying. My daughter has never been told off for having her phone on her. Its very disempowering both for her and for me.
Rhys Spiers, executive principal of Ark Alexandra, said it had been left with no choice but to impose a ban because of the size of the school.
He said: We explored various options to safely store students phones on site during the school day, but the operational challenge of securing nearly two thousand phones daily meant these approaches were not practicable.
