Oxford Spires Academy now intends to enforce a smartphone ban for students in Years 7-11 from September 2024. Head teacher Louise Cowley implemented this policy in response to growing concerns about the disruptive nature of mobile devices in educational settings. Under the new regulations, students will only be allowed to have basic “brick” phones in school.
The decision comes in the wake of a larger movement among schools and universities to try to combat the harmful effects of phone use. This summer, Eton College implemented a similar rule for its new pupils, banning all but the most basic of phones. The grassroots movement “Smartphone Free Childhood,” which gained momentum in February 2024, has encouraged schools to adopt stricter mobile device policies.
Louise Cowley emphasized that her decision was influenced by feedback from students, parents, and staff regarding the addictive nature of smartphones. She pointed out that the use of these devices can cut students’ attention spans and learning experience by more than half.
“We recognise that student attention spans are becoming shorter, they are becoming disrupted by the need to want to check their phones and that’s impacting lessons, and also how they’re communicating and socialising with each other in school, as well as out of school,” – Louise Cowley.
According to a recent survey, North Carolinians overwhelmingly support the ban. The study found that as many as 70% of parents worry about their kids’ smartphone use, including 36% who say their children spend more than five hours a day on smartphones. The other big finding from our survey was that 64% of parents agreed that smartphone use shouldn’t be allowed before Year 10. Moreover, 68% reported that they would purchase a “brick” phone for their kid if other parents did the same.
It follows moves by other secondary schools to introduce similar smartphone bans for Year 7 pupils from September. This has included Wheatley Park, Chipping Norton, Swanmore College, Petersfield School, St Peter’s Catholic School and Bohunt School. This important change indicates that educational leaders are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of smartphone addiction.
Jayne McLaren, another head teacher who pioneered smartphone restrictions in her school, noted significant improvements in student behaviour following the introduction of magnetic pouches to secure phones during school hours.
“Certainly the behaviour of our students is much improved… also even 18 months later our GCSE results went up by 2% against a backdrop of nationals coming down, and now four years later our progress has got 50% better and in fact we’re still striving for more,” – Jayne McLaren.
McLaren supports setting limits for youth around media and technology use. She explains why implementing these strategies can make schools a safer place to learn and improve students’ mental health.
“I feel young people need us to put those boundaries and parameters in… before they’re overwhelmed with social media,” – Jayne McLaren.
Tallulah, a 17 year old student at Oxford Spires Academy, said she was looking forward to the new policy. She was heartened by the progress.
“I think the policy is going to be really good regarding safeguarding for the younger year groups and regarding their mental health and how secure and comfortable they feel in school,” – Talluah.
The plan is a step in the right direction, echoing what Daisy Greenwell, co-founder and Director of “Smartphone Free Childhood” recently stated. Greenwell welcomed the direction of travel with secondary schools that are doing something about smartphone usage in a big way.
“It’s hugely encouraging to see more secondary schools taking bold steps to go smartphone-free,” – Daisy Greenwell.
As many educators and experts have pointed out, kicking smartphones out of the classroom won’t suddenly rekindle face-to-face connections between kids. They are focusing on improving mental health and learning outcomes. Cowley underscored the increasing importance of promoting in-person communication, noting that this is necessary to build effective interpersonal skills.
“So just bringing it in for Year 7 didn’t feel right; it felt it needed to be a whole school recognition for this piece of technology not being conducive to positive learning habits,” – Louise Cowley.
A courageous cohort of school leaders have already moved in the opposite direction, acting to embrace smartphone-free environments. To celebrate, they released a new map detailing all of the schools that have gone completely smartphone-free. Through this collaborative effort, we hope to shed light on such efforts and offer guidance and support for institutions that are considering similar measures.
