A south Belfast post-primary school has become the first in Northern Ireland to remove mobile devices from pupils during the school day.
The policy kicked in as students returned from the Christmas break at Victoria College, where 900 pupils will now have limited access to their technology in what the school has called a ‘digital detox’.
Principal Karen Quinn said the new school policy, which is independent of a similar trial announced by Education Minister Paul Givan last year, is an attempt to help pupils engage in learning, and one that already has a track record of success elsewhere.
“The policy will not prevent pupils bringing mobile phones to school,” she said, having notified parents by letter of the change yesterday, “but they shouldn’t be using them during the day”.
Rather than being banned completely from using mobile devices during school time, pupils will be required to ask the permission of a teacher to unlock their device from a magnetic pouch.
Read more
The scheme had been funded through the school’s own budget and Ms Quinn believes it will yield positive results.
“There’s still a temptation when they have their phone and we know they’re using them, so we’ve decided to purchase pouches that are secure for the pupils,” she said.
“What we’re going to do is use these pouches alongside our policy to teach them how to responsibly use their phones.”
When pupils arrive each morning, they will now be required to place their phones and devices in the magnetic pouch provided by the school.
“It locks and you need a magnet to unlock it,” Ms Quinn said.
“Teachers will have access to a magnet so if we want to use a phone for teaching and learning it can be opened up.
“At the end of the day we will have magnets around the school and the pupils will unlock their pouch as they’re leaving.”
Ms Quinn said the pouches cost less than an average school textbook, and it’s a scheme the school had been working towards for over a year, long before the Minister decided to trial a similar course of action.
“We made the choice, within our current budget, to prioritise this,” she said.
“We are confident that this investment will help students to reduce the temptation to access their personal mobile devices during the school day adding that phones could have a detrimental impact on engagement in learning, social engagement at break and lunch and overall mental health and wellbeing”.
The pouches are supplied by Yondr, with the company having already delivered the system to over 3000 schools worldwide.
“We considered the facts,” said Ms Quinn. “Research shows a 65% improvement in academic performance and 72% improvement in pupil behaviour. There’s an 84% increase in classroom engagement and an 86% boost in pupil safety and wellbeing.
Karen Quinn Principal of Victoria College (Credit: Peter Morrison)
“While we readily acknowledge that technology is an essential part of modern life, we believe this approach will enhance our pupils’ wellbeing and help prepare them for life and work after school.”
Pupils at the all-girls school have been urged to adopt the new policy ‘with an open mind’.
“Of course, there’s been the reaction you would expect,” said Ms Quinn. “They have questions, they are nervous, but they also excited to see the effects,” she said.
“We’ve asked them to have an open mind and to engage with us so we can make it right for the college.
“Already we’ve had pupils stop at my office or stop staff and give suggestions.
“There will be pupils who this will cause some uncertainty to and we just want to work with them and bring everyone with us.
“We will use the time between now and June to work with and listen to the girls then review the feedback to finalise the implementation of the Yondr programme in the school.”
The Education Minister announced a plan to spend £250,000 on lockable phone pouches for a trial in 10 schools at the start of September last year.
Mr Givan faced criticism amid the financial pressures being faced across education, but said “a very clear evidence base has been established around the detrimental harm that mobile phone technology causes and the distraction that it causes within schools.”
He added that the initiative “has been overwhelmingly welcomed by those in the teaching profession.
“This is the right thing to do and schools have my support in taking a very robust approach when it comes to the inappropriate use of mobile phone technology in schools,” he said.