TEACHERS at a school where pupils’ phones are taken away for the entire day were ‘taken a bit by surprise’ by the impact it has had. 

Staff at Winsford Academy said they were ‘apprehensive’ as they didn’t know how students would react after lockable Yondr pouches were introduced across the school in January.

Every student is issued with a personal pouch and asked to lock their phone inside at the start of the school day, meaning they can't access their phones until staff unlock the pouches after the final bell.  

The Academy brought in the pouches after recording more than 350 instances of inappropriate mobile use over five weeks in the previous term.

The experiment has been hailed a success by school leaders, who’ve reported improved teaching and learning in classes, and better social interaction between students.

Winsford Academy’s acting principal, Louisa Rogers, said while the school was apprehensive at how such a huge change would be received, staff had been ‘taken a bit by surprise’ by how well students adapted, and how quickly school life had changed for the better.

Ms Rogers said: “The effect was immediate. Teachers are reporting far fewer distractions in lessons, they can start teaching more quickly, and they report more work is being completed.

“One of the nicest things is during breaks, students talk to each other more. At lunch time they’re sat in groups chatting, and the younger students have been playing more.

"The other day I saw a group had bought in Pokemon cards to swap. It’s how it should be.

“We used to have regular complaints from staff and students about being filmed without permission, and that, along with students using phones to access inappropriate content, is no longer an issue for us.

“Mobile phone use in school was becoming a really big problem for all sorts of reasons and we had to do something about it.

“But for such a massive change there was no real issue. Most parents were on board, and the vast majority of students just got on with it. We’re all used to it now."

Miss Rogers says staff also put their phones away for the day, and some students have stopped bringing their phones in to school at all. 

She also said of the 1,140 students, all but a handful comply every single day, and in instances where students have managed to open the case, or tried to sneak in an additional phone, there have been sanctions.

She added: “Many are saying they prefer it and most say it’s not been as bad as they thought it was going to be.

“We’ve definitely done the right thing.”

The Yondr scheme is a key part of the school’s new ‘Winsford Way’ behaviour policy, introduced to drive up standards and build on improvements noted in a recent Ofsted inspection.

Jeremy Spencer, CEO of the Fallibroome Trust, who manage the school, said: “We’re proud that Winsford Academy is the first school in the Northwest to adopt the Yondr scheme.

"In restricting the use of mobile phones, it has taken a bold but necessary step.

“Thanks to the hard work of Ms Rogers, the staff, and with buy-in from parents and students, we’re pleased that it’s been an immediate success with positive effects in the classroom and beyond."