'Damaging' Primary school bans smartphones from premises

A NORTH Bristol school has completely banned smartphones in response to feedback from parents. From September, any phone which can access the internet or download apps will be prohibited from the premises of Bromley Heath Junior School in Downend.

- Angus MCINTYRE

Rose Arnold, whose son is due to start Year 5 in September, said parents at the school had been inspired by reading about a similar ban at Blackhorse Primary in Emersons Green, which was prompted when a teacher noticed a child had received 9,000 WhatsApp notifications in one night, a situation Ms Arnold described as 'insane'.

The 33-year-old said: "That opened up a conversation, and then I looked into it, and I was like, ah, this is really damaging for children to have these smartphones. It's not necessarily the apps, it's the WhatsApp messages, which are really prevalent among small children. I just thought, why are children in WhatsApp groups at 10 and 11? It just seemed insane."