Mobile phone restrictions: ‘The results we are seeing are hugely positive’  

At St Edward’s School in Oxford we can report that our strict mobile phone policy, introduced in 2022 and continually updated since, has had a noticeably positive effect on engagement in school life, helping pupils to build stronger connections across the school community.

We make no apology for the restrictions – probably the strictest phone rules you will find in any boarding school, where pupils in Years 9 and 10 have no access to their phones in the week at all. Year 11 are granted access for just a few hours twice a week, and the policy relaxes in increments as the children move up the school. We have listened to the latest research findings and the policy is designed to prioritise our pupils’ wellbeing in their school years.

Communication is still encouraged and there are plenty of opportunities to keep in touch with home, friends and family across the week through Zoom and WhatsApp on school-issued laptops or via ‘brick’ phones or even the landline – re-installed in all boarding houses after several years without them.

The results we are seeing are hugely positive. There has been a 25% increase in music lessons.  Participation in dance classes and performances is higher too, with 230 dancers regularly taking lessons (which is over a quarter of the school, 20% of them boys). The number of pupils coming to dance shows, concerts and plays to support their friends is up by 50%.
 
The range of sports available has increased over the last three years, with some of these, such as basketball and fencing, in direct response to pupil requests. In the pre-Sixth Form years, nearly 50% of pupils take three or more additional sports activities, on top of timetabled sport, and the numbers of Teddies pupils representing their school has risen by 15% since the policy was put in place. It’s now nearly 95%.  

The school librarian reports that book loans have gone up year on year and are up by a third since the policy was first introduced. 

Anecdotally, staff tell us that boarding house life is livelier and more engaged. Singing is heard on buses to matches, hide and seek is back, board games are being played, and the children are learning the human art of interaction and finding things to do together in downtime. Additionally, our pupil survey has shown a 10% increase in those that say they feel happy ‘all or most of the time’ at school in the three years after the current phone policy was implemented.

Crucially, the policy is not just about restriction. We believe that we have a responsibility to give our young people the skills and knowledge to navigate the online world as they move through school and out into the wide world beyond. There is no denying that technology, AI and digital advancements will be part of all their lives, and we want them to be ready. Digital wellbeing and citizenship education is incorporated into our curriculum, with a specific focus on delivering relevant lessons during Years 9 and 10. When we first introduced the phone policy, this education helped us to build support for it, but now we find we do not need to build support – it is the norm here now to use your phone only intermittently.

Pupils know the boundaries, and while we remain ever vigilant for changing trends, disciplinary action for incidents such as smuggling in second phones or flaunting the policy are reduced to almost none. The education programme is wide-ranging, covering topics including media balance and wellbeing, privacy and security, relationships and communication and cyberbullying and hate speech.

This is not about shutting our children off from the digital world, it is about giving them the tools to navigate it in their own space and time, and with confidence and control. Parents for the most part love the policy for helping them to regain control of their children’s screen time, and we know that it is now one of the many reasons for which parents choose Teddies for their children.