Mobile Phones

From September 2025, Year 7, 8 and 9 students will not be allowed to bring smartphones on to the Bohunt Wokingham school site.  Any smartphone/ watch will be classified as a ‘prohibited item’ and will be confiscated until the end of the half term for later collection by parents/ guardians. All other non-smartphones (see below) must be switched off and kept in students’ bags during the school day. 

With the increasing evidence showing the significant and emerging risks associated with younger students having smartphones an social media, we are strengthening our current policy. This means that students in Year 7 from September 2025 will not be allowed to bring smartphones and smartwatches to Bohunt Wokingham at all.

Below I have outlined the reasons behind this policy, how it will work in practice and some suggestions to help parents navigate this change.

Why the change?

1. Safeguarding
   We now have ample evidence that children with unrestricted access to the internet and social media are often exposed to highly inappropriate content, cyberbullying and online predators.  By limiting smartphone use, we aim to create a safer environment where students can focus on their learning without these potential threats.
2. Mental Health
   Evidence is rapidly growing that smartphone and social media use leads to negative impacts upon children’s mental health and wellbeing, such as increased anxiety, depression and self harm.  By reducing smartphone usage further, we hope to foster a more positive and focused learning environment while reducing the pressures on young people associated with an online presence. 
3. Distraction
   On average a teenager receives 237 notifications each day and the desire to constantly check a smartphone can easily become compulsive.  Studies consistently show that excessive smartphone use has a negative impact upon academic performance.

The short film ‘A Stolen Childhood’ (12 mins) is an excellent summary of the impacts of smartphones on school children.

How will it work?

From September 2025, Year 7 students will not be allowed to bring smartphones on to the Bohunt Wokingham school site.  Any smartphone will be classified as a ‘prohibited item’ and will be confiscated for later collection by parents, and the student will receive an appropriate sanction.  All other non-smartphones (see below) must be switched off and kept in students’ bags during the school day. 

Our PSHE (Personal Social Health and Economic) education programme contains lessons regarding the reasons for our smartphone policy, the risks associated with social media use and how students can keep themselves safe online. We will evaluate the effectiveness of this new trial policy for lower school students at the end of the year.

What steps can I take as a parent?

We understand that this policy might require an adjustment for parents and we want to support families as much as we can with this transition.  If you need to contact your child during the school day, you can do so via our school reception and student services.  If you would like to be able to contact your child on their journey to and from school, or to check their whereabouts, we suggest the purchase of a cheap non-smartphone (a basic ‘brick’ phone – examples can be found on our website) without access to the internet, WhatsApp and social media.  For location monitoring, parents are also able to attach trackers to these phones, such as AirTags or SmartTags. 

We believe that this change will enable students to enjoy the multiple benefits of being completely smartphone free for over seven hours per day, including encouraging much healthier, face to face interaction on the way to and home from school.  We also hope that this change will help to collectively support parents who are concerned about the potentially very negative impacts of smartphones on their children.  If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via info@bohuntwokingham.com

Please click the button below to view our Smartphone Free FAQs:

Evidence Based Research Supporting Our Policy Change:

Smartphone Free Childhood: https://smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk/

Delay Smartphones: https://delaysmartphones.org.uk/

Online Safety Videos: https://www.knowsleyclcs.org.uk/online-safety-videos/

Helping Families Thrive in the Digital Age: https://www.papayaparents.com/

Netflix documentary ‘Social Dilemma’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0

Channel 4 documentary ‘Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones’: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/swiped-the-school-that-banned-smartphones

The Anxious Generation book and research by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com

Kids, Smartphone and Social Media – talk by Catherine Price: