Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of mobile phones being brought into school by children in Year 5 and Year 6.  According to research, 86 per cent of school children now have their own phone, and that includes 28 per cent of eight- to 11-year-olds. We appreciate that this means you are likely to be put under pressure to let your child have one before they leave primary school.

Whilst there is an argument for the practical benefits of having a mobile phone in school, these are, as a rule, not applicable in a primary setting.  As part of our Safeguarding responsibilities and in line with our school behaviour policy, the following procedures are in place:

1. As a general rule, children should not bring mobile phones into school.
2. If you believe your child has a valid reason to bring a mobile phone into school, you will need to write to me requesting permission.
3. Mobile phones must be switched off when pupils are on the school grounds.
4. Mobile phones must be handed into the school office where they will be kept in a box for safe keeping.
5. Mobile phones must not be switched back on until your child leaves the school premises

Many of you maybe aware that there is a growing movement to delay or retract smartphones until at least the age of 14. Firstly, there is a pledge website that parents can anonymously sign, so that parents and carers can work together to delay the use of smartphones.  

There is a lot of peer pressure for parents to give their child a smart phone because 'everyone else has one', and there should be more awareness about the negative effects of this. There are easy non-internet alternatives if parents do wish their child to have a phone, and the pledge website is very good at giving clear information around this subject. Many children already have smartphones by secondary school, so primary school is a great place to start, and where parents needn't feel alone in their smartphones decisions.  Many parents and carers believe there are many important activities that children now miss out on due to smartphone use and there is growing evidence to support this.

There is a large Whatsapp Hampshire Smartphone Free Childhood Community, with sub groups of Hampshire Schools. There is already an active one for Perins and one has now been set up by a parent for Ropley. These subgroups can be a way of parents with the same concerns about the negative effects of smartphones, can work together to change the norm, and improve not just their own child's wellbeing into the future, but collectively maintain children's natural childhoods, by educating their children about smartphones and delaying giving them one, or retracting one already given.  If you would like to join the Whatsapp Group the link is here:

Whatsapp Group

If you would like more information about this movement please visit the website here:

Delay Smartphones