As of Term 4 – 2024, Cannons Creek Independent School subscribes to a phone-free school policy.
We have always embraced the advances in technology and the positive impact that they have on the enhancement of teaching and learning in the classroom. We are also committed to reviewing our policies regarding the use of technology as an educational tool. Technology has created many opportunities, as well as challenges, for parents and teachers. In recent times there have been an increasing number of studies focusing on the impact of technology, with growing evidence that smartphones may have sparked a mental health crisis, fractured attention spans and contributed to a wave of learning and social emotional deficiencies.
As teachers we strive to provide a healthy community where pupils can learn the academic, social and emotional skills needed to transition to healthy, happy and thriving young adults. While we have implemented a responsible usage approach in the past, we have no doubt that phone usage during the school day has impaired our ability to provide a positive, inclusive and safe environment for all pupils.
The presence of personal smartphones, earpods and smartwatches has undermined the educational experience of many of our pupils. Our role has been, and always will be, to prioritise the education and well-being of our pupils, and therefore we will be moving to a phone-free school policy. We would prefer pupils to leave their phones at home, but if pupils bring phones to school they will be turned off and stored away for the entire academic school day.
Schools that have implemented phone-free policies are seeing positive classroom changes, such as increased focus, attention, comprehension, engagement, fewer midday absentees and improved academic performance. Additionally, teachers and staff report enhanced face-to-face peer interactions, reduced cyberbullying and a decrease in social media-induced drama. As a result, pupils also experience less stress and anxiety.
We anticipate that there will be resistance to this change from some pupils, but strongly believe that it is in the best interest of all.