Alderbrook School

Solihull, West Midlands · Secondary (11-18) · Academy · Urban · 1,700 students

Policy: Phased roll-out: Years 7 and 8 hand phones in at the start of the school day; locked away securely and returned at end of day. No-smartphones-on-site for Year 7s from September.

“If you make it your north star it will be implemented quite quickly and with very little kick back. Be brave; staff will thank you, parents will thank you, and students might not thank you initially, but they will benefit.”

Tom Beveridge, Headteacher, Alderbrook School

How did you implement the policy?

“We started last academic year with a voluntary hand-in scheme with our Year 7 students (phones placed into a locked box and returned at the end of the day). It resulted in about 50% of the year group handing in their phone each morning.

Now we have a policy where all of Year 7 and all of Year 8 do a lineup in the morning, hand in their phones, and do another lineup at the end of the day to collect them.

From this September, we will be starting a no-smartphones-on-site policy with Year 7s and then rolling it up year on year so that, for the current Year 7s, they’ll never have known a secondary school where they’ve been able to have their phones. We felt a stepped change was going to be easier.”

What is your timeline for implementation?

Timeline: Voluntary hand-in pilot (Year 7) in academic year 2024/25 → Compulsory hand-in Years 7 & 8 from September 2025 → Full ban on smartphones on site for new Year 7s from September 2026.

“We thought it was going to be logistically really complicated, but in reality it’s really simple to implement. Staff have found it hasn’t been any hassle at all.”

What objections did you face and how did you respond?

“‘They’ll just go on social media after school.’ We hear that, but listening to our students talk about how much this has reduced their overall time on social media, makes it well worth it."

Objection: My child needs their smartphone to stay safe. Without it, how will I know they're okay?

Response: There are a lot of misconceptions around the safety that having a smartphone can bring. We've seen no evidence that having a smartphone on their person keeps students safe. When we see students step out onto the street and look straight down at their phone, not at the oncoming traffic as they're crossing the road, that really says to me it's not safe. Students carrying brick phones to and from school directly addresses the travel concern.

Objection: What about students with medical needs, for example a diabetic child who needs to test during the day?

Response: We’ve been able to handle medical and additional needs exemptions very easily on an individual basis, with no pushback from parents. Those students know what the policy is and know when and where they’re able to use their phone to manage their needs.

Objection: How will my child develop digital literacy without their smartphone?

Response: We understand completely that young people need to grow up knowing how to use technology responsibly and alongside this policy, we teach that on a day-to-day basis. But young people do not need to have a smartphone on them to grow up being tech-savvy. By the time they do have access to smartphones, we want them to know how to use them responsibly, with brains that have developed in such a way that they can focus, socialise with friends, and get on day-to-day without that constant pressure.

What has been the impact?

Zero safeguarding incidents related to smartphone ownership in the first half-term.

Phone-related incidents: almost completely wiped out

"The whole first half-term from September through to the end of October, we didn’t have one incident in Year 7 or Year 8 that related to phone activity. Before this, incidents happening outside school were coming into school quite a lot because of phone use. That has gone. Staff have embraced the new policy as a result, particularly pastoral teams."

Students are out, talking and playing (loudly!)

"What you’ll see at break time and lunch time every day is students out playing together, talking, socialising. In the past, students in the canteen from 7:45 in the morning would have had their phones out before the bell went for the start of school, not really talking. The fear was that without phones students would get into altercations with each other. Actually it’s quite the opposite. We have a really lovely atmosphere of students socialising with their friends."

Classrooms are calmer and students are staying in them

"Students aren’t feeling the buzz of a phone in their pocket, aren’t asking to go to the toilet to check what they’ve been sent, and aren't trying to keep up a streak. We’re seeing students staying in lessons, wanting to learn. We can see a really positive impact on the atmosphere in the classroom and students’ ability to concentrate for longer periods of time, and we’re sure that will pay dividends when it comes to students’ progress."

What are your top tips for schools considering change?

Start with your younger year groups and roll it up year on year. Current Year 7s will never have known secondary school with phones and that matters for culture change.
Communicate with your community carefully and over a period of time. With the right communication, you’ll have very little kickback from parents and students, and actually have quite the opposite – a lot of people will thank you.
Address the safety concern head-on. Allowing students to carry brick phones to and from school while handing them in on site directly answers the most common parent worry.
There is lots of guidance out there; you don’t have to figure it out alone.

“It’s about childhood. It’s about making sure people understand the harms in terms of brain development. When you think about it like that, why would you consider anything else?”