Having had a very helpful meeting with parents from the Smartphone Free Childhood group earlier this year, I was pleased to receive the following news from Mr Neil Taggart, the Executive Headteacher at Ingatestone and Fryerning Church of England Junior School, about the school's decision to go smartphone free from September this year:
"With mounting evidence showing that excessive smartphone and social media use among children can have long term detrimental effects on their mental health, the Schools are taking the decision to prioritise the children’s wellbeing by only allowing “brick” phones to be brought in. Mr Taggart, Executive Headteacher of both Ingatestone Infant and Junior School, says “We hope this will help parents establish boundaries around smartphone use for their children and provide them with the best opportunity to develop healthy and safe relationships and habits.” The new policy supports the School’s goal of an environment focused on child development, learning, friendships, and mental wellbeing.
This comes at a time when many schools across the country are going fully smartphone free as there is increasing support from parents and educators – particularly given the numerous safeguarding concerns these devices bring. Dad and Smartphone Free Childhood Regional Leader for Essex, Geoff Woollgar, is a fierce advocate for protecting children from the harms of smartphones and 24/7 access to the internet. He says of the new school policy, “This is a fantastic step in ensuring our children enjoy a safe environment at school and home, away from the addictive nature of smartphones and harmful effects of social media. We are so grateful to Mr Taggart and the School Governors for spearheading this vital change.”
The Ingatestone Schools are seeking to lead the way in the local area when it comes to child wellbeing and are establishing an approach that will be rolled out across our Trust and the wider Brentwood Collaborative Partnership of 17 schools."
I am sure this move will reassure many parents when having conversations with their young children about whether they need a phone at all and, if so, what type of phone is helpful without taking valuable time away from talking to friends and playing outside.
Picture: Meeting with parents from the Smartphone Free Childhood group at Shenfield Library earlier this year.
