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Cotham School introduces new initiative to create ‘phone-free space’
A secondary school in Bristol has announced that it will become a ‘phone-free space’ for students in Years 7 to 11.
Cotham School – where use of phones during the school day is already banned – is set to launch a new initiative, embracing a system called Yondr pouches.
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Students will be expected to turn their phone off and secure their device in the Yondr pouch upon arrival to school.
Devices will be inaccessible once secured and can be released by tapping the pouch on a Yondr station at the end of the school day.
Yondr pouches will become part of Cotham School’s official school uniform and equipment policy from June 23.
Whilst the school has purchased the pouches for the initial roll-out, parents will be expected to cover replacement costs in cases of loss or damage.
A Yondr pouch secures mobile phones by a magnetic locking system – photo: Yondr
In a letter seen by Bristol24/7, Cotham School headteacher Jo Butler told parents: “Based on my conversations with my headteacher colleagues about the benefits of Yondr, we are confident that it will have a positive impact here as well.”
Butler added: “We believe that phones have great utility but we have also found over many years experience now that they pose a distraction in school and of course we know that learning and social behaviour improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates.”
A Cotham School pupil who contacted Bristol24/7 about the Yondr pouches said: “There’s not even enough money to provide glue sticks in classrooms yet the school is spending over £20,000 on these pouches.
“All of the pupils are angry about this. No one wants them.”
Cotham set up a GoFundMe page, encouraging donations to help it “create a distraction-free environment” for students. The fundraiser has since been closed after receiving £2,300 of its £15,000 goal.
Main photo: Cerys Larsen
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