Two Birmingham schools have introduced new magnetic phone pouches which stop pupils from using their devices during the school day, with astounding results.
E-ACT Heartlands Academy in Duddeston and E-ACT North Birmingham Academy in Perry Common both brought in the pouches after the October half term. The pouches are locked and unlocked magnetically so pupils can keep their phones, but they can’t be used during the school day.
At their most recent Ofsted inspections, the schools were confirmed as having high standards, with Heartlands Academy rated as ‘outstanding’, and North Birmingham Academy rated as ‘good’. Inspectors said that even before these new rules about phone usage was brought in, behaviour at Heartlands Academy was “excellent”.
However, the teams at the schools decided that this new approach to phones could help improve pupil behaviour further. Overall, in comparison to the previous half term, phone confiscations are down from 52 to 13, a decrease of 75%.
Cyberbullying incidents are down by 50%, whilst bullying overall is down by 22%. Internal truancy, where children are on school grounds but playing truant from lessons decreased by nearly 80%. The move comes as the Prime Minister signalled his support for a social media ban for under 16’s, after Australia introduced a similar measure last year.
Sophia Haughton, headteacher at E-ACT Heartlands Academy, praised the success of the new rules. She commented: “I’m incredibly pleased about the results we’re seeing from our new phone policies, and we’re increasingly finding that, after an initial period of adjustments, our pupils are thanking us for these new rules.
“They feel liberated from their phones - the need to check them, the social pressure, the fear of missing out. The proof is in the pudding here, and we’re seeing happier, healthier young people at our schools thanks to our new rules.”
