Tom is Head of Alderbrook School in Solihull.​ He led an initiative which saw 49 schools write to parents urging them to delay buying smartphones for their children. He says, "a mandatory ban on smartphones in schools would help our children learn free from distraction, would help keep our children safe, and  would allow children to be children for as long as possible. It  would take pressures off school leaders and parents, enabling them to concentrate on allowing students to achieve and thrive

Helen is Head of Kineton High School, Warwickshire. She introduced a simple-phones only policy on a rolling basis, starting with  year 7 in September 2025. She says:  "We shared our purpose and message with our new intake parents and I was genuinely surprised and delighted at the flurry of support from them. Notably, as the vast majority of our students travel on a school bus for some distance to get to school. Our revised policy has had a great impact on learning and students say they understand why it’s been introduced."

Lucy is Head of Archer Academy, North London. Originally, Archer Academy had a “no see no hear policy”. However, after noticing that students were struggling with the temptation of having a phone in their bag, the school banned all phones with a camera or internet functionality.  

Andy is Head of Myton School, Warwick where he is introducing a complete on-site ban of smartphones for years 7-11 in 2026. Andy says: "my long job description can largely be boiled down to two things: do everything in my power to keep children safe and to educate them. The evidence tells me that the presence of smartphones in school threatens both of those objectives.  Therefore it’s rather simple really, I need to ban them from the site."

Marie Lally is Co-head teacher of Earls Barton Primary School in Northamptonshire. She banned smartphones from her school in September 2025. She said her pupils are now "calmer, more focused and more childlike" after phones were removed. She says the impact on the school community has been "nothing but positive". 

In September 2024, he introduced a complete ban on smartphones in school for Year 7. This was rolled up to Years 8 and 9 from January 2025. Parents tell Toby that the ban has had a positive impact on their home life too - because children are now checking their devices far less in the evenings.