New Milton’s Ballard School building on smartphone ban with parents’ pact to prevent their use off-premises

A NEW Milton school is building on its smartphone ban by urging parents to commit to keeping their children off the devices when not attending.

For nearly three years Ballard School has banned the use of smartphones by its pupils, aided by the use of high-tech signal-blocking pouches – a move it believes has already had “overwhelmingly positive results”.

Now, it has been calling on parents to sign up to the Smartphone-Free Childhood Pact.

The faculty is actively promoting the use of ‘dummy’ phones – devices with only basic calling and messaging capabilities – for children under 16.

By early April, 77 Ballard families had signed up to the pact.

As reported in the A&T, Ballard revealed how it restricts in-school use of smartphones after Ringwood School announced it would impose a ban for Year 7 from September.

This came amid continued concerns over the devices’ impact on youngsters’ mental health.

The Safer Phones Bill being discussed in parliament aims to promote safer and more regulated smartphone use among children.

Ballard has used Yondr pouches, which block off signals until the phones are released by a special unlocking device at the end of the school day, since September 2022.

Headteacher Andrew McCleave had praised this policy as a “real game changer”, with pupils spending more time outdoors, socialising, and focusing on their studies without distractions.

In the hope of extending these benefits beyond the school day, deputy head (pastoral) Andy Marshall first raised the idea of a ‘Ballard Parent Pact’ in last November’s parent newsletter.

Welcoming the response so far, he said: “Not only have many parents spoken to me about this, but a large number of our families have taken the step of signing a national Smartphone-Free Childhood Pact online.

“For children to develop emotionally, they need real-life experiences. Smartphones act as ‘experience blockers’, taking away hours of potential free playtime – ultimately having a negative effect on children’s emotional development.

“Having had many conversations with parents struggling to manage smartphones for their children, and with the growing body of evidence around this issue, I feel incredibly strongly about doing something positive to preserve the wonders of a happy childhood.”

As well as the current policy’s educational benefits, Mr Marshall pointed out it encouraged meaningful face-to-face conversations with peers, and improved communication skills.

He also believed a phone-free environment had “significantly reduced” social media stressors.

Ballard hopes its pact will not only inspire families within its own community, but those beyond it too.

Mr McCleave added: “It’s still early days, but this movement is already gaining momentum as awareness of the negative impact of smartphone usage for children grows.”