Mobile phones from September 2026

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

As you will be already aware, from September, Sewell Park Academy will become a mobile phone free school. We are exceptionally proud of this. The Government has recently passed legislation that requires this of all schools, with Ofsted enforcing this through their inspection process. At SPA we fully support these changes. In many ways, through our internal procedures we have acted ahead of the national deadline for implementation. We took this stance early as there are well documented studies proving the huge link between the continued use of mobile phones and the negative impact on the mental health of young people and student results in examinations. It also gives our students the opportunity to interact as children with each other.

Below we have outlined our revised procedures for September and would also recommend fully reading the “frequently asked questions”.

How this will work at Sewell Park Academy

We would recommend that students do not bring a mobile phone (this includes smart watches) to school at all. However, we are aware that many parents are concerned about safety on the journey to and from school.If mobile phones are brought into school, the following procedures will apply:

Before school: The only parts of the school buildings accessible to students will be the canteen and drama hall. This will be from 8.10 am for any students wishing to buy breakfast from the canteen. All other areas will be locked and out of bounds.

Start of the school day: Students will line up for form at 8:30 am, as they currently do. Their form tutor will have a lockable storage box and students will place their phone in the numbered slot assigned to them by their position in the register. The storage box will then be taken and locked away during the school day.

End of the school day: At the end of the school day, students will return to their form line up areas and calmly line up in register order. Their form tutor will re-distribute the mobile phones prior to the students leaving the site. Those students who do not have a mobile phone can leave at the end of the day as they currently do.

Contacting students

If parents or carers need to contact a student during the school day, this should be done through the school office on 01603 411721 or office@sewellpark.org. With student safety as our top priority, we will follow our standard safety protocols in the event of an emergency as outlined earlier this academic year.

We fundamentally believe that this change will support our young people in both their wellbeing and academic education. As ever, we are so grateful for the continued collaboration and support from all members of our community.If you have specific individual questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

With best wishes,

David DayHeadteacher

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Do smart watches count as mobile phones?All smart devices, watches and mobile phones, or equivalents (and those still to be invented) will be covered under the procedures. Headphones must be in a school bag at all times on the school premises.

What if my child arrives late?The front reception will collect the mobile phone on entry to the school. If it is an authorised absence (e.g. medical appointment), they can collect from reception at the end of the school day. If a young person is late to school, without any contact or suitable information from parents or carers, their mobile phone will be available to collect after their Learning Catch Up.

What happens if my child needs to leave the school early?At the time of leaving the school site, the phone will be collected by a member of staff from the correct form storage box and brought to the front of school. The phone will only be passed to the student once they are authorised to leave the site.

Will my child’s phone be safe?All phones will be placed in the locked form storage boxes by the individual student. These will then be locked away during the day, until the student leaves the site. However, Sewell Park Academy will be a mobile phone free school. Therefore, the school cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or damage to any mobile phone, smart watch or equivalent device brought onto the school site. We emphasise the value of not bringing a phone to school each day.

What happens if my child requires a phone for medical reasons?If you feel your child requires a mobile phone for a medical reason (e.g. monitoring diabetes), please make contact with us as a school. We will of course authorise agreed medical cases as reasonable adjustments. However, if a student with a reasonable adjustment used their phone for another reason, an appropriate sanction would be implemented.

My child currently doesn’t bring a phone to school, how will this work for them?If a child does not bring a mobile phone to school, they will continue the school day as usual.

What happens if my child is on a school trip?Phones will be collected at the start of the school trip and kept in a locked trip stoarge box. If these are required for specific reasons, such as photography, access will be allowed at set times. If it is a residential trip, phones will be distributed during certain periods so that contact can be made with home.

What happens if a student forgets to hand in their phone?If a student has made a genuine error during the school day, they should report this to the first member of staff possible and hand over their phone until the end of the day. We understand that occasionally mistakes can happen.

What happens if a phone is seen during the school day?If a student is found to be in possession of their phone during the school day, it will be confiscated and will only be returned to the parent or carer. This will also result in a suspension from school and a readmission meeting to which parents and carers are required to attend. Wand searches may be conducted at random at any time and, if the school has concerns a phone has not been handed over, a wand search may be used.

What happens if my child makes contact with me on a mobile phone or device during the day?As a school, we will deal with the reason for contact and any follow up required. However, the student will receive the sanction for failing to hand in their mobile phone or device.

How will you ensure phones are handed in?Random wand searches will take place throughout the academic year to ensure that the procedures are being followed.

What if there is a school emergency?In an emergency, the priority is for students to follow school safety procedures under staff guidance. Unauthorised phone use during such situations may delay emergency responses, spread misinformation, put students and staff at increased risk or disrupt coordinated safeguarding measures. All emergency communications will be managed through the school.

What does a ‘mobile phone free school’ mean for staff?At Sewell Park Academy, we ask our staff to model the behaviour we expect of our young people. However, there is also a difference between staff and students at times. Members of staff will only be allowed to use their mobile devices in offices, the staff room or in classrooms with no students present. If there is a requirement for a member of staff to use their phone in front of students (eg. Two-factor authentication for logins, to call for first aid from a duty point or for an educational purpose etc), they will explain clearly and openly to students the reason for their phone being out.

What happens if my child receives a Learning Catch Up (LCU)?If, on the rare occasion a student receives a Learning Catch Up (only a very small proportion do), their phone will be collected from the form box and taken to the Learning Catch Up location. The phone will only be returned on completion of the session. If there is a specific issue with a Learning Catch Up, it is the responsibility of the parent or carer to contact the school. Reasonable adjustments/changes can be made on one-off occasions, only with communication from home. However, under Department of Education guidance, the student will need to complete the sanction as issued by the school, or an escalated sanction will follow.