The PTE “Phone-Free School” Campaign
There’s no doubting the benefits that smartphones have brought to their owners. That said, we know that schools function best with as few distractions as possible – and it’s hard to argue that smartphones don’t distract children from getting the most out of their learning and socialising during the school day. Research by the think-tank Onward that explores the impact of phones in schools can be found here.
It is with this in mind that today we’re delighted to be launching our “Phone-Free School” campaign.
Our open letter, signed by leaders running over 140 schools, can be found here.
We want to do three simple things:
- help parents & teachers understand the benefits of keeping schools phone-free,
- recognise the great work schools already do in giving children a break from their phones, and
- encourage other schools to follow suit.
The PTE “Phone-Free School” status can be obtained by schools signing up to two principles:
- For Year 11 students or below, ensure that mobile phones are not used, seen, or heard at any point anywhere on the school site, and
- Breaches of this rule, without expressed permission in exceptional circumstances, are sanctioned in line with the school’s usual disciplinary procedures.
That’s it!
We believe this will help schools demonstrate that they’re taking seriously their responsibility to give children a proper break from social-media and the other wonders available via their phone.
Schools can sign up for the Phone-Free School scheme here. School leaders who want to sign the open letter backing the scheme can contact us here.