Woodbridge mum 'delighted' as Ormiston trust goes phone-free

The Ormiston Academies Trust is bringing in the rules during the school day due to the “overwhelming” relationship between their use and mental health, according to chief executive Tom Rees.

The trust runs Stoke High School, Thomas Wolsey Academy and Ormiston Endeavour Academy, all of which are in Ipswich, as well as Ormiston Sudbury Academy and Ormiston Denes Academy in Lowestoft. 

Ormiston Sudbury Academy, one of the schools in Suffolk (Image: Ormiston Sudbury Academy) Daisy Greenwell, who co-founded Smartphone Free Childhood with her friend Clare after a small WhatsApp chat with other parents to discuss the issue snowballed into a national campaign, has welcomed the new policy. 

"It is absolutely fantastic news," she said.

"All the evidence and things we hear from teachers and in the WhatsApp groups we run point to the fact that smartphones do not mix well with schools." 

She said she believes schools that ban phones will enable pupils to concentrate better on their work, as well as socialise face to face with their friends more. 

Ormiston Academies Trust is set to make all of its secondary schools phone-free (Image: Newsquest)

"We all know how hard it is and distracting it is to have a phone, even having one in sight reduces your concentration capacity," Mrs Greenwell said. 

"If kids have their phones at break times they are just on their phones - one of the major things we want them to do at school is make friends and learn how to socialise with other kids. If you're just on your phone you're not getting those key skills and friendships. 

"Schools can make changes really quickly that will have a positive impact and headteachers have that power.

"That's what is really good to see here - teachers are changing the culture for kids not just in school time but outside of it too."

Mr Rees told the Guardian of the plans: "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."

A number of other schools in Suffolk have also taken steps to ban or restrict smartphones on the school site, including Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham and St Mary's Church of England Primary School in Woodbridge.

A spokesperson for Ormiston Academies Trust said: “Moving forward and over time, we believe it is desirable for us to move to a position where children do not access their phones at all throughout the school day. Teaching and learning, behaviour and children’s mental health are all impacted negatively by mobile phones.

“Our schools are at different stages of the journey. A quarter of our secondary schools are piloting different approaches to this over the autumn term, and one is phone-free, where it’s been really successful and is popular with parents and students.

“We want schools to do this at their pace - they are best placed to make the decisions because they know their schools best, and because we want them to consult with their parent and pupil communities.”