Hastings school bans phones and threatens to keep them for months

Ark Alexandra Academy in Hastings announced it would be going “mobile phone free” and banning smart devices from its campuses – but told parents that repeat offenders could have their phone taken for an entire school term.

Parents said the ban makes them worried for pupils walking to and from school – to which the academy suggested they could stick GPS trackers to their children.

One concerned single parent said: “My daughter is in year nine and has special educational needs.

“She sometimes has trouble getting to and from school and my concerns are I won’t be on the end of the phone to give her some reassurance.

“I think it’s horrifying. My daughter has never been told off for having her phone on her.

“I’m a single parent and now I have to wait until she physically gets through the door to plan our evening.

“It’s very disempowering both for her and for me.”

Children are banned from bringing mobile phones onto the Ark Campus

Ark Alexandra Academy announced in June that it would be banning phones from its two campuses, in Hastings and St Leonards, and would be searching pupils with metal detector wands to make sure they were not breaking the rules.

Phones, smartwatches and other electronic devices would be confiscated until the end of the week and are only returned to parents or carers rather than the pupils themselves.

And if children persistently bring the phones in the school says it will confiscate phones until the end of the term.

The ban comes after new guidance from the Department for Education in February suggested that schools may decide that no phones are allowed on school grounds.

But the guidance also suggests that phones could be kept in secure locations within the school, handed in on arrival, or kept in bags but not “seen, used or heard”.

Abbos Azad, whose two children go to Ark Alexandra, said the blanket ban raised concerns about safety for pupils getting to and from school by public transport.

He said he had created a petition with hundreds of parents to rally against the ban – but claimed the school had not responded to their concerns.

Ark Alexandra School in Hastings (Image: Google Maps)

He has since helped lead the effort with the Ark Alexandra Parents Support Group and Hastings Secondary Educational Forum, who have been lobbying for a re-think.

He added: “I send taxis to pick up my children sometimes. If they don’t have their phones they won’t know where to get picked up from.

“We don’t deny the fact that the removal of phones during the school day is the way forward. But we seem to be up against a significant level of difference with the school.

“I think they need to find a middle ground. Smartphones are going to continue to be in everyone’s lives for generations to come.”

In response to parents’ safety concerns about making sure their children get to and from school safely, senior leaders at the school suggested pupils could be fitted with tracking devices.

In a video intended to reassure parents vice principal Sarah Butters said “some parents use a small GPS tracking device which you can place in your child’s bag or blazer to see your child’s live location”.

The school also dismissed suggestions it could use specially designed anti-phone pouches or allow "brick" phones with no smart features, claiming the plans were “unworkable”.

Ms Butters added: “There is an overwhelming body of research that supports the move to ban mobile phones in schools.

“This is because mobile phones continue to be a major distraction in the learning environment and they are also impacting negatively on our children’s mental health.

“At the heart of this decision is a desire to protect our children’s childhood, give them a great education and keep them safe.

“We want our children to stay children for as long as possible. We can all agree that a great childhood is not one that is spent glued to a screen.”

Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore waded in on the plans and raised the issue in the House of Commons on Thursday, saying that "most parents support measures" to reduce mobile phone use in schools but are concerned about the safety aspects.

Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell responded by saying that schools are "encouraged to consult parents on this issue to get the balance right".

Ms Dollimore said she was also looking into the potential for phone lock boxes to be used at the school.

Helena Dollimore, Labour MP for Hastings and Rye (Image: Laurie Noble)

She added: "The messages I’ve had from parents have been loud and clear. No one wants mobile phones and social media to disrupt the school day.

"However, there are real concerns about the safety and wellbeing of students on their way to and from school.

"I am keen to engage with the school to find a solution to this issue that works for pupils, parents and staff, and I’m pleased a local charity has offered to help with the cost of lock boxes.”

Rhys Spiers, executive principal of Ark Alexandra Academy, said they want the school to be "an environment where healthy relationships, respect and courtesy for one another are hallmarks of our community".

He added: "We have proactively communicated with parents and students about the changes to our mobile phone policy, which has already led to a significant uplift in standards across the academy. 

"We explored various options to safely store students’ phones on site during the school day, but the operational challenge of securing nearly two thousand phones daily meant these approaches were not practicable.

"With the damaging effects of mobile phones on children well documented, many UK schools are adopting similar policies. This is in line with published guidance from the DfE.

"We’re actively engaging with families who are finding these adjustments more challenging.”