Kent headteacher warns current school phone banning policies "do not work"
A Kent headteacher is warning the current phone banning policies in schools "do not work".
Damian McBeath from the John Wallis Church of England Academy in Ashford has introduced magnetic pouches to restrict pupils' access to all technology, including phones, earphones, and digital watches, for the entirety of the day.
Mr McBeath tells Greatest Hits and Hits Radio strengthening regulations in January 2024 has been "one of the biggest transformations in his school in the last five years".
On 18 September Mr McBeath met with Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, and other school leaders across the county, to advocate for strengthened policies.
"The more schools we can get on board the better because this makes a difference to children's lives".
Since introducing the policy, Mr McBeath says the children "feel happy, they're more engaged, attendance has improved, and we've seen children's behaviour improved."
The Academy report a 40% reduction in the number of detentions it has given to students since the new policy was enacted.
"There are lockers where children can lock their phones away. They can be locked in pouches. All schools can have a ban where they do not allow phones in school whatsoever.
The Department of Education says 90% of schools have a ban on smartphones.
"Most of those bans are put your phone in your bag, lock it away, and then they hope the children will develop some magical self-regulation power that most adults don't have" says Mr McBeath.
"60% of teachers report nationally that lessons are interrupted by phones so we know the existing policy doesn't work.
At the John Wallis Academy, Mr McBeath says they use "magnetic pouches" and at the end of the school day unlock magnets around the perimeter of the school, that students can use to unlock their pouches.
Mr McBeath says teachers check each student has a locked pouch everyday.
"As a leadership team, we pop into classrooms and ask them just to pop their pouches on the desks so we can check to make sure they're locked away."
On 5 October 2025, Mr McBeath will be speaking at the inaugural World Inclusion Congress (WIC 2025), hosted by Kazakhstan.
"I'm taking a delegation of about 14 people and we're releasing a book as well while we're over there, which is a collection of health professionals, of educational professionals from around the world, all debating and discussing this issue of the impact of technology on children."
More than 5000 participants from over 100 countries are expected at the Congress, including education ministers from around the world.