Hundreds against phone ban at Durrington High School

Durrington High School - a secondary school in Worthing attended by around 1,600 pupils aged 11 to 16 - announced its new mobile phone policy in July, following the introduction of statutory guidance from the UK Department for Education (DfE) requiring schools to be "mobile phone-free environments by default".

Although it is up to individual schools to determine how best to implement this, Durrington High School opted for a policy under which pupils are not permitted to bring smartphones onto the school site.

This differs from many other schools which have opted for pupils to put their phones in a lockable pouch, so that they can be used when travelling to and from school.

An online petition calling for the policy to be amended was launched soon after the policy was announced in July and has received 525 signatures at the time of writing.

According to the petition website, 439 parents or adults and 86 students have signed.

The petition asks people to sign only if "you are happy for the ban to be active on the school premises, but you are not happy with the ban being active on the way to school and home again" and calls for the policy to be amended accordingly.

It adds that "parents are unhappy with the lack of consultation prior to the policy being set in stone, along with the lack of concern for the parents and children's views on the policy."

The school says the measure is intended to improve focus, reduce disruption and address safeguarding concerns linked to smartphones and social media.

However, some parents say the rules could create difficulties for children who rely on smartphones for digital bus tickets and to contact family members during journeys to and from school.

One parent, who asked not to be named, told The Argus: "It's ridiculous in this day and age to think that it's safe for [my child] to travel several miles to and from school without a phone."

Durrington High School allows pupils to bring 'dumb' phones with them so children can contact their relatives on the way to and from school, but the parent questioned why they should pay for a second phone when their child already has one.

Parents also questioned why Durrington High School did not adopt the system used at some other schools, where phones are locked away in pouches or stored securely during the day and returned when pupils leave.

The Argus approached Durrington High School with the specific concerns raised by parents and asked whether it planned to respond to the petition.

Responding, the school said: "Like all schools we have implemented the guidance from the DfE around smart phones and would like to thank parents and students for the way they have embraced this, following our return to school last week.

"We are delighted with the way students have started the new school year.

"They have all made a fabulous start and we are looking forward to another successful year here at Durrington High School."