Independent Schools Guide: Reflecting on screen usage in school

Dr Kenneth Taylor

St Mary’s Music School

“Personal mobile devices/phones must be switched off between 8am and 5pm. Such devices may be used to support learning with teacher permission. S6 may use such devices to support their learning without teacher permission.

This is the policy we introduced over ten years ago, having noticed that during break times some young people were choosing to focus on their devices rather than communicating with their peers. It was agreed that we should all play an active part in our community of musicians, focusing on the “hear and now” rather than a virtual, digital world.

Individual music practice is at the heart of any musician’s work, and effective practice requires a great deal of focus and concentration. Years of practice is required to achieve mastery of a musical instrument, and the quality of that practice is crucial for successful progress.

Used properly, mobile devices can support learning in both class and practice rooms. Unfortunately, experience shows that mobile devices are often extremely distracting in the practice room.

When a young musician asks if they can use a mobile device as metronome, to tune their instrument or record their work, the amount of self-discipline required to use it for that purpose alone is often unrealistic.

Switching mobile phones off during the day and limiting use by boarders in the evening is not universally popular, but there is a – often tacit – recognition that these measures lead to our young musicians making much more effective use of their time in school.

Jane Barrowcliff

Fairview International School

At Fairview, smartphones are not permitted for use during lessons or across the school day. This policy is designed to support focused learning, pupil wellbeing, and positive social interaction – in line with our commitment to developing balanced, reflective learners.

Research and our own experience show that unrestricted access to smartphones can be highly distracting for pupils and can negatively affect concentration, behaviour and face-to-face relationships.

By limiting smartphone use, we create a calm learning environment in which pupils can engage deeply with their learning and one another.

Safeguarding is also a key consideration. Reducing access to smartphones during the school day helps to minimise risks associated with social media, inappropriate content, and online conflict, while supporting pupils’ emotional wellbeing.

At the same time, we recognise that digital literacy is an essential life skill. As an IB World School, our approach is not anti-technology, but focused on purposeful and ethical use. Pupils regularly use school-approved devices and platforms as part of carefully planned learning experiences, where technology enhances inquiry, collaboration, and critical thinking rather than distracts from them.

We work closely with families to promote consistent messages about responsible smartphone use beyond school. By setting clear boundaries and encouraging thoughtful, principled engagement with technology, we aim to prepare pupils to be confident, responsible and digitally literate.

Ultimately, our policy is about balance – creating an environment where pupils can learn, grow, and connect, while developing the skills and dispositions they will need for life in an increasingly digital world.

Carol Chandler-Thompson

St George’s School

During the school day, pupils are expected to keep smartphones switched off and out of sight, and they are not used in lessons or social spaces as a default.

This supports focus in the classroom, protects learning time from distraction, and helps maintain positive, face-to-face relationships.

We recognise that smartphones are part of modern life and that our responsibility is to educate, not simply prohibit. Alongside clear boundaries, we teach digital responsibility – covering online safety, privacy, respectful communication, and the impact of screen habits on sleep, mood, and concentration.

Importantly, “smartphone-free” does not mean “technology-free”. Digital learning at St George’s is purposeful and structured. Pupils use school-approved platforms and devices under teacher guidance, with learning designed to build information literacy, creativity and critical thinking. Teachers choose the right tool for the task –sometimes that is technology, and often it is discussion, practical work, reading, writing, and problem solving.

Our aim is a healthy balance. Pupils should be confident and capable in a digital world, while also developing the deep attention, curiosity and resilience that underpin academic success and wellbeing.

Clear smartphone boundaries help create the conditions in which that balance is possible.

Lisa Kerr

George Watson’s College

During summer term 2025, Watson’s became a mobile phone-free school. This has been one of the most significant cultural shifts we’ve made in recent years, and the benefits have been striking.

The policy ensures our pupils remain focused on learning – not just by engaging more actively in lessons and enrichment activities, but by giving them the space to appreciate face- to-face interactions. In turn, this supports pupil’s wellbeing because it reduces distractions, allowing for a more positive and inclusive community.

For many of our pupils, this change has had an enormous impact, ensuring school life is more enjoyable and fulfilling.

With being a phone-free environment, it is vital that we still value the importance of technology in a pupil’s educational journey.

At the start of this academic session, we launched our managed devices initiative, integrating digital tools and devices purposefully into learning, whether through laptops, tablets, or classroom resources. This allows us to be a more collaborative environment whilst continually strengthening the quality of our teaching.

Our pupils develop digital skills in a structured, safe environment that encourages them to be more present – academically and socially. By managing when and how tech is used, we ensure that pupils benefit from modern learning tools without the drawbacks of unrestricted smartphone access.

As we reflect on the progress we have made so far, it is clear the whole school day feels calmer and perhaps even more human.

We can’t influence screen time outside school and there is no doubt that we live in a world where digital skills are vital. But we believe that by taking these steps, our pupils can continue to thrive in an environment that is not only safe and distraction-free, but one that allows them to be ready for anything.

Timothy Bayley

Glenalmond College

At Glenalmond, we do not permit smartphone use during the school day. This policy is deliberate, evidence-based, and increasingly vindicated by emerging research on adolescent wellbeing and cognitive development.

The case against unrestricted smartphone access in schools is now overwhelming – they fragment attention, disrupt learning, undermine face-to-face social interaction, and contribute significantly to anxiety and poor sleep.

By removing smartphones from the school day, we protect academic focus, encourage genuine conversation, and create space for pupils to be fully present in their education and relationships.

Our priority is straightforward – we want pupils engaging with teachers, teammates, and each other, not screens. Break times should be for connection, not scrolling, whilst lessons demand concentration rather than the constant cognitive interruption of notifications and digital temptation.

Our unique environment at Glenalmond reinforces this philosophy profoundly. With 300 acres of stunning campus and the Scottish Highlands on our doorstep, we can offer something smartphones simply cannot – genuine, immersive experiences in the natural world.

These moments away from digital distraction allow young people to think clearly, connect authentically, and discover reserves of resilience that no app can teach.

But restricting smartphones does not mean rejecting technology altogether. We remain wholly committed to effective digital learning, but on our terms and for clear educational purposes.

Pupils use school-managed devices – tablets and laptops – within structured lessons where technology genuinely enhances understanding rather than distract. Teachers integrate digital tools purposefully for research, collaboration, and creativity, ensuring technology serves education rather than undermining it.

Simultaneously, digital citizenship and online safety are thoroughly embedded throughout our PSHE [Personal, Social, Health and Economic] curriculum, where pupils learn about misinformation, digital footprints, cyberbullying, and healthy technology habits, equipping them to navigate the digital world wisely beyond school.

Nick Brett

Edinburgh Steiner School

We have an established culture whereby parents, pastoral teachers and the public put their phones away whilst on campus, and pupils aged 11-13 pop their devices into a lockable cabinet they’ve nicknamed the “phone prison” for the school day. Younger pupils leave them at home, if they have one at all.

We are at the top of Smartphone Free Childhood’s leaderboard for Scotland by percentage of roll. Half of all children aged 3-13 are protected by a parent pact that together supports families in delaying smartphones until age 14 and social media until at least 16.

Our approach to the use of technology within the curriculum is guided by the same philosophy that steers the entire curriculum – The Right Thing At The Right Time. We carefully consider the classroom and campus for children, so that wonder, imagination, and creativity thrive.

Technological literacy – a crucial 21st-Century skill – can be mastered quickly when children reach adolescence and have the developmental maturity to know how, why, and when to use tech as a tool. Yet it is incompatible in the younger years with the holistic education we deliver.

This distinctive approach requires strong parental alignment, which can feel out-of-step in highly tech-driven systems. We accept this trade-off purposely, nurturing warm technology through hands-on, experiential learning and direct interaction.

Our pupils are not required to use their mobile or iPads for lessons or homework before they become a teenager, and the “phone-detox” is a requisite of the school day.

While some benefits of tech are undeniable, we are not always sure this is what we signed up for. What is the influence of intense technology usage on the development of young children?

#KidsOnTech – a documentary examining how children interact with and are affected by tech – shares philosophical roots with Waldorf schools, and features our well-known sister school in Silicon Valley.

Our parent demographic at Edinburgh Steiner School is largely professionals in higher education, the creative industries, and those working in the Capital’s tech ecosystem. Together, we separate digital literacy from digital exposure, sequencing them very intentionally.

Tech skills here are built warmly – sequencing, logic, hand-eye co-ordination, memory, storytelling, creative thinking skills – the foundations that make digital work meaningful.

This article first appeared in The Scotsman’s Independent Schools Guide, published on Saturday 14 February