The Birkenhead Park School is proud to be a mobile phone free school!

The Birkenhead Park School has created a collaborative movement, supported by parents, teachers, staff and students, to implement an effective phone-free policy for the school.

Head of School, Mrs McNamee, says the school has always had a no-phone policy, where devices were put away in bags or “out of sight” in blazer pockets, but the distraction was still there. Now, pupils who bring in a phone must put it in a locked pouch for the day.

The new school year in September 2024 saw The Birkenhead Park School implement their new Mobile Phone policy, introducing a new locked pouch system to remove the temptation of mobile phones from the classroom, and school as a whole. Students lock their phones in a pouch before arriving in the morning, and do not unlock them until they leave at the end of the school day.

Mrs McNamee, said: “Students can learn and engage fully without the constant distraction and temptation to look at their phones. It’s been a massive positive for teaching and learning!”

“We’re seeing a clear yet damaging relationship between mobile phone and social media use, in particular. Not all mobile phone use is equal and the effect on adolescent mental health is overwhelming.

Mrs Robinson, Safeguarding Officer, said: “It has made a huge difference to students on the corridors between lessons. In the past I’d have had to challenge students to put their phones away, as they used to check them between lessons. I’ve not once had to question a student since the new policy started”. All staff agree that there has been a decrease in the number of students leaving lessons for the toilet, where in the past they would check their phone.

There is evidence that when a phone is in the same room, the brain “leaks attention” and is constantly drawn to checking it for notifications or messages. This hugely impacts a young persons ability to focus and retain information. This is catastrophic for the process of learning.

Year 11 student Grace, said: ”I no longer feel the pressure to check and reply in group chats on my phone. I can 100% concentrate more in lessons”