Parents at a school in East Sussex are facing a £25 fee to store their children’s smartphones during the school day. Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove has introduced a new policy requiring students to secure their phones in magnetically sealed wallets supplied by the American company Yondr.
Starting in September, as part of the school’s uniform policy, students will place their devices into these pouches at the beginning of the day and retrieve them when they leave. The initiative aims to enforce the school’s existing ban on smartphones more effectively, which, according to the head teacher Claire Jarman, has been challenging to implement.
In a communication to parents, Jarman explained the necessity for the change, citing the excessive administrative burden the current policy has created. “Enforcing the smartphone ban is consuming a significant amount of staff time and energy—resources we would rather dedicate to more positive aspects of student support,” she stated.
The proposed policy is still under discussion, but the move aligns with actions taken by over 200 other schools in Britain that have adopted Yondr’s phone pouches. One parent, expressing support for the initiative on Facebook, noted the benefits of reducing phone distractions during school hours, while still acknowledging children’s need for phones during their commute.
Research from the non-profit Common Sense Media underscores the disruption caused by smartphones, finding that the average student receives 237 notifications per day, which can hinder learning.
Parent kind, a parent-teacher organization, revealed that half of the parents surveyed are worried about their children’s excessive screen time.
A Yondr spokesperson defended the cost of the program, emphasizing the broader benefits: “The £25 fee for the Yondr pouch is not just a purchase but an investment in a distraction-free educational environment, which has shown significant advantages in other participating schools.”
The Department for Education has recently issued guidelines supporting the authority of head teachers to implement full-day phone bans, reinforcing the school’s approach to managing digital distractions.