School completely bans mobile phones and teachers say kids’ behaviour changes

A school said its total ban on pupils using mobile phones has improved exam results and behaviour.

The ban, which has been running for a year, has “made a massive difference” said Ann Webb, headteacher at Ysgol John Bright, in Llandudno .

The strict rule applies at any time during the school day, even during breaks or at lunchtime. Staff are also asked not to use mobile phones in front of pupils.

Mrs Webb said pupils are now more sociable and concentrate better in lessons.

And she claimed that the ban, which was introduced in 2018, helped pupils get better GCSE and A level results this summer.

 

 

At GCSE level, the school saw a 10% improvement on last year’s results with nearly a quarter of pupils getting five A* or A grades.

At A-level 79 per cent of students achieved A* to C grades with 62 per cent getting at least one A and 11 per cent three As.

“I can’t envisage us ever going back to allowing the pupils to bring out their mobile phones now,” said Mrs Webb.

“Because they’re not glued to their phones when they arrive at school, they have to engage in social communication and when they go to the library they’re looking at books instead of their phones or they’re discussing things with their peers.

“It’s also made a difference to engagement in lessons because the phones are not available as a distraction.”

If any pupil is caught using a mobile phone anywhere on the campus it is confiscated until the end of the school day.

Their parent or carer is contacted if this keeps happening and the phone will not be returned until they come in to pick it up.

The “black and white rule” is strictly enforced.

“We have a team of staff outside the entrance, to the school in the morning, all very visible and all children are required to switch their phones off and put it into their bags,” said Mrs Webb.

“The rest of our staff are out on corridors in the morning talking to students, talking to each other and just making sure that rule is enforced.

“To be fair once we’ve got this rule established it is just not an issue during the school day at all. You will not see a student with a mobile phone.

“I genuinely think the pupils have welcomed the break from social media and, because the situation is clear cut, everybody complies. It’s a black and white rule that’s applied consistently.”

The only exception is the sixth form who are allowed to use their mobile phones in their social areas.

 

Chair of governors Carla Forfar said: “It’s probably no accident that we’ve had some cracking results this summer, both at A level and GCSE.

“This is all about raising the standards of the school universally and there is research out there that suggests that schools that do ban mobile phones have an uplift in performance because students are more engaged and concentrating in lessons and learning.”