Social media distractions are being eliminated for young people in Brentwood as St Martin's School introduces a policy requiring students to lock away their mobile phones during the school day. The initiative, which follows consultations with parents in January, will see 92% of students using Phone Locker pouches when the policy takes effect on June 1.
New Policy Details
Students will secure their phones in pouches before entering school grounds and cannot unlock them until the end of the day, when special magnets are available. Deputy headteacher Georgina Tatman noted that the move predates government guidance and aims to remove temptation. “We already had a policy banning phone use, but students could still check messages in the toilet. That was hard to manage. We are now creating a physical barrier to completely remove that temptation,” she said.
Positive Student Response
Mrs Tatman reported that most students are “excited” about the change, anticipating improvements in mental health, focus, and friendships. “The majority are really quite excited. We have seen how pouches work at other schools, with better behaviour and social skills. Having a six-hour break from phones will be refreshing and take pressure off our young people,” she added.
The school has held reassurance sessions for anxious students, and those with medical conditions requiring app monitoring, such as diabetes or heart conditions, can unlock phones when needed. Parents can still contact students via the school landline. Only 8% of students have not yet purchased a pouch and will leave phones at home.
Mrs Tatman emphasized the community’s support: “We are proud of how our school community has embraced this. Parents are appreciative. This is going to be so powerful.”
