Behaviour better at phone-free school - head teacher

Children's behaviour has improved at a school where pupils lock their phones away for most of the day, a head teacher has said.

Teachers have seen improvements in the way classmates communicate with each other in the 18 months since Ysgol Aberconwy, in Conwy, introduced the partial ban, according to Ian Gerrard.

But it had taken time for some to "come to recognise the benefits" of the school's phone-free policy, he said.

On Wednesday, Welsh politicians are due to discuss a Senedd report which has advised against an outright ban on phones in schools.

Instead it said schools should get more Welsh government support to set their own restrictions.

And Mr Gerrard agreed, saying a more nuanced approach was needed as phones had their benefits.

"We've noticed over the last 18 months significant improvements in behaviour in the school, and that's no doubt partly due to our mobile phone approach, as much as due to a number of other changes that we put in place," he said.

"We now see that our exclusion rates are a long way below the national averages.

"The students have come to recognise the benefits that this policy brings for them in terms of their focus on learning, in terms of their focus on each other, and their ability to communicate with each other," he told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement.

• At Ysgol Aberconwy, pupils lock their phones into pouches when they enter school
• Phones can be accessed when needed during lessons or if used with apps to help with things like health conditions such as diabetes
• Pupils' phones are confiscated if seen or used at other times without permission during the school day

Mr Gerrard explained how pupils were also being taught about the dangers from using things like social media.

"There are many instances that we could quote where mental health has been negatively affected by smartphones, by social media and by children's use of social media for cyber bullying and other things," he said.

"But, equally, there are some cases where the use of a mobile phone can be calming under certain circumstances and can be a benefit.

"Educating children to the dangers of social media, as well as helping them to understand how they can use their smartphones effectively as a tool for education is really important."

Last month, the Senedd petitions committee said there was "plenty of evidence" that smartphones caused harm but it also heard that they can support young people's welfare and safety.

It spoke to teachers, pupils and parents as part of its inquiry in response to a petition signed by more than 3,000 people calling for smartphones to be banned in schools, except in exceptional circumstances.

In response, the Welsh government said it was working with schools "to ensure they have policies and resources to reduce the negative impacts of mobile phones and promote learning". Zena Blackwell, whose petition prompted the inquiry, called for "consistency" as "the current system feels unjust".

Members of the Senedd will discuss the report's findings at Wednesday's plenary session.