Over the last three years Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Wanstead has implemented a groundbreaking mobile phone pledge, urging parents to delay the purchase of smartphones for their children until they enter secondary education.
The initiative arose from concern about the rising figures in mobile phone usage among young people and the negative effects phones can have on them. That concern is evidently shared by parents, with 61% of families at the school signing up to the pledge and 78% of those pledging to delay their purchase of a mobile phone until their children enter Year 7. Says headteacher Ruth Boon: “Three years ago, like many schools, we were dealing with social media friendship issues and now we rarely have any.”
To ensure children do not feel excluded, no phones are allowed in the school and only a few students have phones outside of school. This has had such a positive outcome that 50% of parents of students in Year 6 have taken a further step and agreed not to buy their child a mobile phone until they are 14, in the hope that their children will then be able to navigate social media in a mature way.
The initiative has had a positive effect on the students in Our Lady of Lourdes School. Three years ago, students at the school would frequently have disputes involving social media. This inevitably led to upset and stress across classes, disrupting the children’s ability to learn. Last year there were no such disputes – and the same is true for this year. “This is an amazing outcome,” says headteacher Ruth Boon, “giving students a terrific space to learn and build friendships.” She is confident that this will continue.
While the pledge was originally aimed at Years 5 and 6, it is now run from Nursery upwards. “Parents have such an appetite for this as they want to protect their children,” says Mrs Boon. “The initiative has been widely supported by parents, which has contributed greatly to its success.” This year the school also undertook a whole-school Lenten Pledge to reduce screen time. Although this was primarily for the children, staff have also been trying to lead by example and feedback has been positive.
“We also hold information meetings a couple of times a year and invite parents to share their stories which is really powerful. They talk about how their child has survived secondary transition without a smartphone, that they have made friends and how a mobile phone does not necessarily keep your child safe,” she adds. “They also share regrets such as allowing their Year 2 child to play on Roblox and become addicted to the game.”
Our Lady of Lourdes School is the first school in Redbridge to implement such an initiative and has since talked to other local schools as well as secondary schools about the project. If you would like further information on how to implement similar initiatives in your school, please contact Our Lady of Lourdes School at [email protected]
