Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 3
Blanchelande College Bans Smartphones for Year 7 From September as England Tightens 29 June Rules
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 3

Blanchelande College Bans Smartphones for Year 7 From September as England Tightens 29 June Rules

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 3

Summary

  • September will bring a full smartphone ban for Blanchelande College’s Year 7 pupils, with 11- to 12-year-olds allowed only basic brick phones for safety or communication.
  • The Guernsey school said smartphones distract even when locked away and cited research linking them to poorer attention, sleep, mental health and overall wellbeing.
  • Parents were told the move should also ease pressure to buy smartphones at the start of secondary school, while the college reviews rules for all other year groups.
  • The policy follows new England rules that took effect on 29 June, making schools and trusts responsible for staying phone-free throughout the day, and mirrors restrictions already used by Guernsey’s other two private colleges.

Insights

Do phone bans create focused students or just delay teaching them essential digital self-control for the future?
If phone bans don't guarantee better grades, is improving student well-being the more important, unstated prize?