Sandwell teacher says phone ban works - despite research suggesting results don't improve
The University of Birmingham did find sleep, behaviour and exercise is worse if students look at devices for longer
A Sandwell school which has banned phones since it opened has told us it's surprised by research which suggests bans during the school day don't make a difference to pupils' grades or wellbeing.
The study, from the University of Birmingham, did find sleep, behaviour, and exercise were worse in those looking at their phones for longer - both inside and outside the classroom.
The findings, which have since been peer-reviewed and published, compared 1,227 students and 30 different secondary schools.
Peter Lee's from Q3 Academy Langley - he tells us why he thinks banning phones has a positive impact on pupils.
"We have also banned phones since we opened in 2016 and we think it's been one of the contributing factors to our excellent results that we've achieved over the past few years.
"We think the benefits are there for all to see."
The study also showed restrictive phone policies did not lower the overall time young people spent on their phones throughout the day.
But Peter says locking phones away has a positive impact on the mental wellbeing of students.
"I think anyone who's a parent of teenage children - like I am - would realise having a digital detox in the middle of the day is beneficial for children," he tells us.
"It also means we don't deal with lots of the issues that come into school on social media, that we still deal with anyway that happen outside of school."
Peter says he thinks the school's phone ban is directly linked to its wider success.
"Our attendance figures are the strongest in our local authority area and I would point to that as being a sign that the ban works."
A Government spokesperson said: "Teachers already have clear guidance to manage phone use effectively in a way that works for their schools.
"Our focus is on keeping young people safe, while also benefiting from the latest technology. By the summer, robust new protections for children will be in force through the Online Safety Act to protect them from harmful content and ensure they have an age-appropriate experience online.
"Alongside getting these laws in place, we are committed to building the evidence base to inform future action to protect young people online.
"More robust evidence is needed to reach clear conclusions on the impact of smartphones on children, which is why we have launched our own research, led by the University of Cambridge, into the impact of social media on children's overall wellbeing."
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