\n It’s understood that 14 secondary schools, and a growing number of primary schools, across Dorset have announced that they’ll be implementing smartphone-free, brick-only policies from September.\n<\/p>\n
\n Under brick-only policies, students who need to bring a phone to school are permitted to carry a basic mobile phone capable of calls and texts only, rather than internet-enabled smartphones.\n<\/p>\n
\n The approach aims to maintain communication between families while reducing the risks associated with social media, online harms, cyberbullying and excessive screen use.\n<\/p>\n
\n One of the 14 schools is Bournemouth School for Girls, who have confirmed that they’ll be introducing a new smart device policy from September 2026, making the school smartphone-free for pupils in Years 7\u201311.\n<\/p>\n
\n David Sims, headteacher of Bournemouth School for Girls (Image: NQ)\n<\/p>\n
\n Headteacher David Sims said: “Whilst recent government guidance has reinforced the move towards smartphone-free schools, the main reason for introducing this policy is much simpler: we believe it is the right thing to do for young people.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We want BSG to be a place where pupils can focus on learning, build strong friendships, and enjoy their school day free from many of the distractions and pressures of the online world.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The school’s consultation found strong support for change. Parents identified online bullying, harmful content, inappropriate imagery and the impact of social media on young people’s wellbeing as significant concerns, while staff reported that smartphones were having a negative impact on learning and social interaction.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The other 13 schools are St Peter’s, Poole High, The Blandford School, Highcliffe School, Twynham, The Grange, Glenmoor & Winton Academy, Parkstone Grammar, Avonbourne, Bourne Academy, St Edwards and Bournemouth School (BSB).\n<\/p>\n
\n Kate Ball talking with students (Image: Twynam School)\n<\/p>\n
\n Twynham announced the policy earlier last month on June 8, with headteacher, Kate Ball, saying that they’re trying to make the best decision for their students.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: “We thought long and hard about this and we have spent the time consulting, going out to other schools that are at different stages in their journey so we can learn from each other.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We\u2019re all headteachers in school trying to make the best decision for students and staff.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Lisa Ratnam, Smartphone Free Childhood regional leader, added: \u201cUnlike pouch and locker systems which can be costly, time-consuming to manage and open to misuse, a brick-only approach is clear, consistent and easier to implement.\n<\/p>\n
\n “More importantly, it helps shift the culture around smartphone ownership by supporting families to delay giving young people smartphones, reinforcing the message that these devices are not an essential part of childhood\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n Susie, a local parent, said: “This feels like a huge step forward in safeguarding a healthier and happier childhood.\n<\/p>\n
\n “As a parent and psychiatrist, I have had concerns for some years about the damaging impact of smartphones, now thanks to strong school leadership these critical years are protected from smartphone harm when travelling to and from school as well as during the school day\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n David Sidwick, the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner. (Image: David Sidwick PCC)\n<\/p>\n
\n Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick added that he welcomes the new smartphone-free policies across the area.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cCreating safer environments for children and young people is at the heart of effective crime prevention.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis is a positive, practical approach that supports safeguarding, encourages healthier relationships with technology, and helps create school environments where pupils can focus on learning, build stronger face-to-face connections and thrive.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I’m pleased to see schools, parents and communities across Dorset working together to put children’s wellbeing and online safety first.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s understood that 14 secondary schools, and a growing number of primary schools, across Dorset have announced that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":690810,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2306,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-690809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/690810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}