Mobile Phones and Wearable Technology

RE: Mobile Phone Policy Trial – Term 6, 2026

Following recent revised government expectations and a consultation process involving our staff, parents, and Student Council, I am writing to formally announce that Langtree School will implement a new mobile phone policy effective from 1st June 2026 (after half term).

Our goal is to foster a calm, focused, and inclusive learning environment that prioritises personal development, academic excellence and student wellbeing. With this in mind, we have reviewed our mobile phone rules and we are implementing a new Mobile Phone Policy to help reduce the “digital pull” of smartphones and social media. We aim to allow our community to focus on what matters most: learning and healthy social interaction.

The new phone policy is included at the end of this letter.  I urge all parents and carers to take time to read this in full.  However, the key change is that : 

  • KS3 students (by which I mean current year 7 and 8 students) are no longer allowed to bring in smart phones/smart-devices. In September this will include the new year 9 students.
  • No students can use their phones at any time while on site during the school day (even at breaks or lunchtime). 
Current Years 7 and 8 (but will roll over to include year 9 students from September 2026): 

Total Device Ban

 Current Years 9, 10 and 11): 

Switched Off and Kept in Bags
Prohibition: Students are not permitted to bring smartphones or equivalent smart technology (including smartwatches, tablets, or internet-enabled wearables) onto the school site. Permission: Students are permitted to bring smartphones onto the school site.
Alternative for Safety: For the commute, students may bring a “basic” or “brick” phone (e.g., a Nokia 105) which lacks WiFi, a camera, or internet access. Usage Rule: Smartphones must be switched off and kept out of sight in school bags at all times while on the school site. This includes all areas of the school grounds including during lessons, outside and in toilets.
Storage Rule: Any permitted basic phone must be switched off, kept out of site and stored securely in the student’s bag immediately upon arrival. Scope: These rules apply during all lessons, transitions, breaks, lunchtimes, and after-school clubs.

We want to foster:

  • Parental Empowerment: We want to empower the increasing number of parents who wish to delay the provision of a smart phone and access to social media, until their child is mature enough to deal with the content that these platforms provide.
  • Academic Gains: Large-scale studies demonstrate that prohibiting phones significantly increases academic progress, with the most profound benefits observed for low-achieving and vulnerable students.
  • Reduced Distraction: Removing smartphones provides the “headspace and calm” necessary for students to engage fully with their lessons without the interruption of notifications.
  • Safety and Wellbeing: Constant connectivity and social media pressure is frequently linked to rising levels of anxiety. This policy also aims to help mitigate the risks of cyberbullying and the unauthorised sharing of content.
  • Trust and Maturity: We have opted for a tiered approach because we believe Key Stage 4 students are generally more equipped to handle the responsibility of device ownership. Furthermore, as KS4 students are permitted off-site during lunchtimes, they may benefit from the additional safety and functionality a mobile phone provides during those periods.
  • Putting Learning First: Our pastoral team are spending an increasing amount of time dealing with issues arising from inappropriate use of mobile phones and social media. 

Pilot

We are going to be piloting this new approach during term 6 to ensure we can address any issues that arise. Please be aware that we will enforce all the rules strictly during this trial. If our older students seem incapable of adapting to these new expectations, or if the government expectations change, we may well extend the prohibition to the older year groups.

Practical Logistics and Parental Concerns

We have carefully reviewed the feedback from parents / carers on the March 2026 survey and have addressed the most common practical concerns as follows:

Emergency Contacts The school office remains the primary point of contact. If you need to reach your child, please call the office and we will pass on the message. Students needing to contact home should report to the reception or their Head of Year. We kindly ask that parents do not attempt to contact students directly on personal devices during school hours. 

In order to ensure parents can contact their children while traveling to and from school all students are permitted to bring a basic phone.

Bus Passes: Students who currently use digital bus passes must transition to physical hard copies as soon as possible.  

For Reading buses, you can obtain these:

  1. In-person: At the shop in Reading Broad Street Mall (existing digital passes can be transferred to hard copies here).
  2. Online: Physical copies can be ordered online (please allow additional time for postage).
  3. Telephone: Call 0118 959 4000 to pay via the customer service team and have the pass posted to your address.

For Oxford buses:

  1. You will have to purchase a Key Card.  This will cost £10 and then you top this up with the travel money.  You purchase a Key card online: Oxfordkey.co.uk 
  2. The ticket (through the app) cost £209 for a 13 week pass.  On the card it costs £219.
  3. Once topped up, it takes 24 hours to update and you need to activate it on the bus.
  4. If you lose a card, you have to pay another £10
  5. For any queries, contact [email protected]

We are aware that parents will have already purchased electronic passes and may not be able to convert it to a card. If this is the case please inform the school and we will work with you to find a solution. As of September all students will be expected to have a physical bus pass.

Location Tracking For parents who wish to track their child’s commute, permitted alternatives include (albeit expensive) Xplora devices or more affordable tracking tags (e.g., AirTags), which allow for location monitoring without the full functionality of a smartphone.

Student Organisation To replace digital tools, the school is moving toward providing student diaries. Please note that while we are working to procure these, they may not be available for the start of Term 6. In the interim, we will provide students with alternative resources to manage their schedules and homework.