A school in Teignmouth is to ban mobile phones in a bid to improve behaviour and academic results.
From September 2025, students at Teignmouth Community School (TCS) will either need to leave their mobile phones at home or lock their devices in a special mobile phone pouch during the school day.
‘When smartphones are removed from the school day, children do better,’ said TCS head Rachel Wickham. ‘Schools that have removed smartphones from the school day have also recorded fewer cases of bullying and social issues and less internal truancy than before the removal,’ she added.
Students who fail to adhere to the new rules will have their phone confiscated with repeated breaches resulting in additional punishments ranging from detentions to suspensions.
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While acknowledging that it is not a school’s responsibility to dictate when parents buy devices for their children, TCS said it is in a position to be able to give children a break from phones during the school day. ‘Children spend more time in school than any other place outside the home and we are committed to making TCS a genuinely smartphone free environment because we believe it is what our young people need,’ Mrs Wickham explained.
The pouches will cost around £20 and will form part of the school uniform.
Students that need to contact a parent or carer will need to do so via the school office and those who require access to a smartphone for specific reasons such as diabetics checking blood sugar levels via an app, will be allowed to get a special, accessible phone pouch.
Last year, Dawlish College, which is part of the same Academy Trust as TCS, introduced the same, Yondr lockable phone pouches as part of a ban on mobile phones in school.