Full list of schools set to implement a ‘brick only’ smartphone policy

Almost two-thirds of parents say they want their child’s school to ban smartphones- and now some schools are looking at doing just that.

Headteachers at secondary schools in Southwark, south London recently decided to take collective action to shift their pupils away from smartphones, with the aim of educating them about the downsides of excessive usage.

17 of the 20 state schools in the area have since pledged to ban students from using smartphones during school hours, with the other three looking to implement a similar policy.

The move comes as children in England return to classrooms for the start of the new school year this week, and face new measures following updated guidance  around mobile phone use in schools from the Department for Education‌.

Some of the options mooted by the government range from a complete ban to handing in devices upon arrival and collecting them upon departure.

Following the Government’s guidance, The Fulham Boys School in London is believed to be the first state school in the country to introduce a smartphone ban from September and replace it with a ‘brick’ phone-only policy for pupils aged between 11 and 16.

David Smith, Headmaster of the high-achieving and popular Fulham Boys School, said the smartphone ban he is imposing is not being rolled out not to improve results, but to protect the wellbeing of his students.‌

Mr Smith made his decision after carrying out an internal survey of his 800 students, looking at the impact of smartphone use and social media apps. One of the key findings was that of the 97% of students who own a smartphone, the majority estimated that they received more than 50 notifications or messages a day, with some saying they received more than 200.

‌The headteacher said he believes smartphones should only be handed to 16-year-olds, the age at which they are mature enough to handle the device. 

To tackle the issue, Mr Smith has become amongst the first to sign up to the The Better Phone Project, a project by mobile phone developer Human Mobile Devices (formerly Nokia) which seeks to address concerns over children’s use of smartphones. 

The aim of the year-long collaboration is to create a ‘better phone’, one that will serve as a compromise between a smartphone and a ‘brick’ phone.

The Fulham Boys School has written to the families of all incoming pupils to inform them of the new policy, which will take effect in September.

Mr Smith said: ‘I am not anti-technology; the development of technology has brought many wonderful advantages in terms of learning and development. The issue is smartphones and social media apps which are addictive in their nature and are easily misused. 

‘Young people are the most vulnerable to this. Once you have a smartphone device in your hand and have access to social media and the algorithms that come with it, this is when the issues start. Once you hand a smartphone over to a child, you are taking away their childhood.

The schools have agreed to confiscate any smartphones used by pupils during the school day. If the phone is a traditional mobile phone, without access to wifi, it will be returned to them relatively quickly.

But if the phone is a smartphone, however, it could remain confiscated for up to a week – or until parents collect it themselves.

According to a recent government report, nearly 25% of children and young people use their smartphones in a way that is consistent with a behavioural addiction.

Mike Baxter, headteacher of the City of London academy, said: ‘We were prompted to collaborate after seeing first-hand the negative impact of smartphones and social media on our children’s wellbeing and education.

‘While the issues that we had to address typically occurred outside of school hours, it was often in school that these negative behaviours were exposed,’ the Guardian reported.

Eton has also banned new pupils from bringing smartphones to school, with the prestigious public school issuing children a basic device instead.

Mike Grenier, Eton’s deputy head, instructed parents to take their child’s smartphone home after its SIM card is transferred to a school-issued Nokia handset that can only make calls and send texts.

Grenier said the change had been decided on after being trialled in boarding houses, according to the Times.

‘When used responsibly and in moderation, smartphones can be a key part of life for the modern teenager and can create positive social networks and give access to news and views from around the world,’ he said.

‘However, despite these positives, there are also associated challenges and potential areas for concern, especially around socialisation, misuse and overuse and the impact on both mental and physical health.’

According to the UK parents surveyed by HMD, 61% said they were concerned about their child’s phone use and the content they were accessing during their summer holiday break.

74% said they were aware their child was using their phone far more during the break compared to term time. Some 75% of UK parents said social media apps placed their child under too much pressure and thereby impacted their mental health.

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