As the national news reports on calls from parents and campaigners to limit the time children spend on smartphones, or ban them completely for under-11s, Mount Kelly has placed further restrictions on mobile phone usage in School.
Academic research continues to point to the negative impacts of certain technologies on academic attainment, mental health, attention spans and displacement of healthier behaviour.
Mount Kelly Prep is mobile phone free up to Year 8, and in September 2023 the College at Mount Kelly moved away from a slightly permissive attitude towards mobile phones to applying greater controls on their usage. College pupils last year were not permitted to use mobile phones in school buildings and around the school site during the working day, the exception being in the Houses, a concession made mainly for boarders.
However, a more recent parent mobile phone survey showed support for a stronger policy and from September 2024 pupils in Years 9-11 will no longer be able to use mobile phones anywhere in the School during the working day. Boarding pupils will continue to have phones, but their use will be supervised separately in the Houses, after the working day.
Guy Ayling, Head Master at Mount Kelly explained, “The positive impact of last year’s restrictions was instant. We immediately saw a more civilised and professional atmosphere and improved engagement in class and amongst pupils.
“I am now firmly of the opinion that the single most important action we can take to improve our children’s lives is to strictly limit access to smartphones throughout the school.
“We acknowledge parent concerns around mobile phones being good for safety, particularly when traveling, and the need to embrace technology by building responsible, long term, sustainable digital literacy skills.
“Pupils can bring smartphones to school, for safety reasons, as long as they are turned off and at the bottom of their bags. Likewise, the use of technology to support education is embraced and encouraged, but limited to separate devices under teacher control.
“Mount Kelly recognises that complete withdrawal from smartphones is no real solution – they are woven into our lives and children need to be taught how to use them in a healthy and safe way. Our approach is to help balance the benefits and challenges that technology bring to schools, by helping young people take a break from their smartphones and teach them how to use these devices in a more controlled and healthy way.”
Categories: Academic
