Pupils to have mobile phones locked in boxes

Phones will be banned at Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy in the new term

A high school will require pupils to drop their devices in a box each morning as it implements a mobile phone ban that it claims will "improve learning, behaviour and mental health".

Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy, in Runcorn, said that as of January, pupils would be required to place their phones in a box at the start of the school day and only be allowed to collect them before they went home.

But some parents have questioned the move, claiming not having access to phones could lead to a rise in anxiety among pupils.

The school is part of the Ormiston Trust which said feedback from other schools in the trust where phones had been banned had been "really positive" from parents and pupils.

The scheme has already been rolled out in some of the trust's 44 schools across the country, including Ormiston Chadwick Academy in Widnes, which introduced the ban in September.

'Keeps them safe'

A trust spokesperson said: "Over time, we believe it is desirable for us to move to a position where children do not access their phones at all throughout the school day".

One parent told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that forcing some children to part with their phones could be harmful.

The parent, who did not wish to be named, said: "The phones will be locked up for the rest of the school day, meaning if an emergency happens, children will not be able to contact home. Would you trust your child's school with their phone?

"What is the need for children to be stripped away from the one thing that keeps them safe?"

The trust said they had seen positive signs already across other schools after having the phones stored away for the day.

"High standards, strong academic outcomes, good behaviour and mental health are all key priorities for the academy, and so being phone-free supports all those aims, they added."