St Swithun's bans smartphones from campus in new initiative

St Swithun’s School, in Alresford Road, is adopting Yondr pouches in an effort to make the school more of a smartphone-free environment.

The school has previously banned smartphones on its campus but is now introducing the pouches for girls in years 7 to 11 from this term onwards so phones will be out of reach and out of mind for the entire school day.

Boarders' phones at the all-girls school are stored securely in their boarding houses during the day, with students only being able to access them at a specific time in the evening for them to contact family and friends. Smartphones are already banned in the Prep School.

St Swithun's pupils (Image: St Swithun's School)

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The Yondr Program uses a secure pouch that stores a phone. Each morning, day students switch their phones off and secure them in a personally assigned Yondr pouch in their registration. Students maintain possession of their phones and pouches and are not able to use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day, at unlocking stations around the school.

Day students bring their Yondr pouch to and from school each day and are responsible for their pouch at all times.

Jane Gandee, headmistress, said: “Whilst we recognise that, when used in the right way, smartphones have great utility, we also know that there is increasing evidence that smartphones are highly addictive and research that shows direct links to poor mental health and low self-esteem, especially in girls. Social media use in teens correlates with rates of anxiety and depression.

“We also feel strongly that time spent on smartphones is time not spent with peers interacting, exploring and developing vital social skills.”