'Significant challenges' of mobile phone ban highlighted by Harrogate school head in response to Government's new advice

Rhiannon Wilkinson, Head of Ashville College, said it would be difficult to determine the impact, if any, of the new guidance which attempts to create the social norm that there should be no place for mobile phones in schools throughout the school day.

Schools in England were already taking significant action regarding mobile phone use by pupils on their premises, she added, though the Government initiative did mean that neither schools nor parents could “bury their heads in the sand” on the issue.

Pointing to a series of existing measures at the independent Harrogate school, Rhiannon Wilkinson revealed Ashville College already restricts the use of mobile devices in its Senior School by collecting phones in from Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils and returning them at the end of the day.

The Ashville College head, who was previously the Founding Principal of Whittle School & Studios in Shenzhen in China and has held Headships at Wycombe Abbey and Harrogate Ladies’ College, said she did not underestimate the scale of the problem.

“The impact of social media on mental health is one of the most significant challenges facing anyone who works with children of secondary school age, and in many cases sadly, even younger,” she admitted.

But she, also added, mobile phone use outside school was of far greater potential significance than during the school day.

Rhiannon Wilkinson, Head of Ashville College on the use of mobile phones by students

"Schools in England are already taking significant action regarding mobile phone use by pupils on their premises, so it will be difficult to determine the impact, if any, of the new guidance announced by the government.

"However, no new announcement is useless, as it serves to re-open the conversation about young people’s cultural dependence on their mobile phones, generally.

"Do we really know what a significant number of young people are consuming and being influenced by as they tap away at their phones and digest the material on their screens?

"Do you really know what your children are accessing?

"Since children are given mobile phones from an increasingly young age and 98 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds own a phone, schools do their best to regulate pupils’ technology use.

"Most have made great strides in cracking down on the use of mobile phones by pupils on their premises.

“At Ashville College, considering the part we can play in managing pupils’ engagement with technology is a constant process.

"Like most schools, we restrict the use of mobile devices in our Senior School, by collecting phones in from Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils and returning them at the end of the day.

"Pupils in Year 10 to Upper Sixth must switch off their mobile phones during the school day unless directed otherwise by a staff member.

"We attempt to ensure that unsuitable sites cannot be accessed from within College.

"In addition, September 2023 saw the introduction of iPads for pupils in Year 5 to Year 11.

"College-owned and College-managed, they only grant access to educational materials and predetermined and approved applications.

"This initiative guarantees safe and equal access to materials for all pupils, both inside and outside school, and enables staff to plan for consistent technology integration in classrooms.

"We considered mobile phone use carefully during the roll-out of the iPads, because they offer the same functionality without the distractions that mobile phones can bring.

"How we work with pupils and parents to help them navigate the opportunities and perils of mobile phone use goes beyond policy.

"Acknowledging the impact and risks of the use of mobile phones and, by association, social media, means providing in-person support and guidance, whether it’s through day-to-day pastoral care, PSHE assemblies and parent seminars, or the specially trained professionals who work at our Health and Wellness Centre.

"The challenges of negotiating our way through what has been labelled the “teenage technological world” can only be met effectively by schools and homes acting in partnership.

"The impact of social media on mental health is one of the most significant challenges facing anyone who works with children of secondary school age, and in many cases sadly, even younger.

"It is an issue much ruminated upon and discussed by Heads and teachers everywhere in whatever sector or part of the country they work, concerns that will mirror the concerns of parents everywhere.

"Social media is not known for its balance. Indeed, algorithmic structures create situations where children with problems are recommended sites which make their issues worse.

"The most damaging instances have been well-documented – anorexia, self-harm, gender dysphoria and, most alarmingly, suicide.

"As with much else in education, it is vital that schools and parents work together with pupils on these issues.

"With regard to online access, what happens outside school is of far greater potential significance than what happens during the school day.

"We find that a lot of the issues which affect attitudes, language, manners, behaviour and learning in school flow from access to unpleasant, often age-inappropriate sources on sites accessed outside our school.

"Schools will continue to do their bit, appeal to parents to be as vigilant and reactive as possible and consider their home rules, whilst assuring them that they are far from alone.

"All the guidance we receive from our professional associations, and from those bodies such as Internet Matters (www.internetmatters.org) which advise about use of online materials, advocates that parents should talk to their children about these issues, however difficult we might find that process.

"I’ve heard this new guidance described as a “non-policy for a non-problem".

"While I understand this sentiment given schools are already taking significant action to combat this issue on their grounds, the very publishing of new guidance re-opens the conversation, highlighting that neither schools nor parents will bury their heads in the sand while our young people still bury their heads in their screen.”