A West Devon college has placed further restrictions on mobiles phones as a recent limit has shown significant improvements in learning and attention in class.

From September, the independent Mount Kelly College, in Tavistock, will ban pupils in Years 9-11 (ages 13- 16) from using mobiles anywhere in school during the working day. Boarding pupils will continue to have phones, but their use will be supervised separately in the boarding houses, after the school day.

Mount Kelly Prep is already mobile-free up to Year Eight, and in September 2023 the college moved from a slightly permissive attitude towards phones to applying greater controls. College pupils last year were not permitted to use mobiles anywhere on-site during the working day, except in the boarding houses – leading to immediate improvements in learning.

The move comes after a college parent survey which supports a stronger policy and as academic research points to the negative impacts of communications technology on academic attainment, mental health, attention and behaviour.

Guy Ayling, Mount Kelly headmaster, said: “The positive impact of last year’s restrictions was instant. We immediately saw a more civilised and professional atmosphere and improved engagement in class and amongst pupils.

“The single most important action we can take to improve our children’s lives is to strictly limit access to smartphones throughout school.

“We acknowledge parent concerns around mobile phones being good for safety, particularly when travelling, and the need to embrace technology by building responsible, long term, sustainable digital literacy skills.

“Pupils can bring smartphones to school, for safety reasons, as long as they are turned off and at the bottom of their bags. Likewise, the use of technology to support education is embraced and encouraged, but limited to separate devices under teacher control.

“Complete withdrawal from smartphones is no real solution – they are woven into our lives and children need to be taught how to use them in a healthy and safe way. We are balancing the benefits and challenges technology bring to schools, by helping young people take a break from smartphones and teach them to use them in a more controlled and healthy way.”

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