Smartphone policy – Newquay schools working together to improve students’ wellbeing
Dear Year 6 (soon to be Year 7) parents,
We are so excited to be welcoming your child to Treviglas Academy this September. I know you will have received lots of information about this September start and more information is on the way soon.
In the meantime, we just wanted to draw your attention to a change in our phone policy. Since original phone policies were made in schools there has been a shift towards smartphone ownership and it is now necessary for us to distinguish between smartphones and simple mobile phones. A simple phone is a phone which does not have access to the internet, app store or a camera.
We’re excited to announce that Treviglas Academy is joining schools across Newquay, with support from Newquay Town Council and MP Noah Law, to pioneer the first smartphone-free school community in Cornwall. This places Cornwall at the forefront of a growing national and international movement to create healthier digital environments for our young people. From September 2026, new starters will only be allowed to bring simple phones on site. We look forward to being a smartphone free school entirely and whilst we are not there yet, we are going to make a start in 2025.
At Treviglas we expect all phones to be turned off and in bags for all students.
For Year 7 from September 2025, we request that students do not bring a smartphone to school. We appreciate your child may already have a smartphone, but I’d like to reassure you it is not needed in school.
We suggest you consider a simple phone instead. These can be purchased very cheaply. If you wish for your child to bring a smartphone to school it will need to be securely locked away for the day.
We are lucky enough to have a wonderful parent who is Crowdfunding for smartphone lockers for the new year 7s. These lockers would mean that smartphones can be securely stowed by individual students at the start of the school day and retrieved at the end of the school day, thus avoiding distractions to learning. If your child will be bringing a smartphone to school we ask you to consider making a £10 donation to these lockers here:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/tech-free-revolution-for-brighter-futures
For further clarity:
Online homework:
There are some online homework platforms such as SPARX and Tassomi, but these can be accessed from any digital device (such as laptops; chrome books etc) and do not need a smartphone. Students also have access to study rooms and homework clubs should they wish to use our facilities.
Accessing Timetables:
Students do not need to access their timetables during the day – they are given printed timetables each half term and they can also check timetables before leaving home for the day or with a member of staff.
Contacting home:
We understand that on rare occasions students may need to contact home during the school day. Should this be the case, students can go to reception or student support who will be happy to help with this. Just as you would expect from primary school, all contact during the school day will be made via school staff. Please continue to make day-to-day arrangements with your child before school. For urgent contact, please call reception rather than messaging your child's phone. This helps to remove pressure from children feeling that they must be available via phone throughout the school day.
More information
I am sure you are already aware as to why we are moving to support a Smartphone Free Childhood in primary and secondary schools across Newquay. The detrimental impact of smartphones and unfiltered internet access on child safety and the physical and mental health of young people is becoming better understood all the time. For more information and understanding as to the reason behind this please consider accessing one of the resources in the attachment included.
We are getting excited preparing your child’s tutor groups; their curriculum; their activities and welcome days and look forward to giving you all a warm welcome on 2nd of September.
Many thanks for all of your support,
Mr James Rogers