Our school uses Yondr phone pouches to make our site phone-free.

The Yondr system has been implemented across 40+ countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment.

Every student will be assigned a personal Yondr Pouch. While the Yondr Pouch is considered school property, it is each student’s responsibility to bring their pouch with them to school every day and keep it in good working condition.

Why are we Phone-Free?

Our students deserve a learning environment where they can be free from the distractions of phones and social media.

Yondr schools report improvements in:

• Academic performance
• Classroom engagement
• Social connection
• Student wellbeing
• Safeguarding incidents

FAQs

What if I need to reach my child during the school day?

Our approach to this has not changed. If you need to get a message to your child during the school day, you will be able to contact us on 01752 705131 or [email protected], and we will be able to help you with this. We will be putting further staff on reception to answer calls that come in throughout the day, to ensure that you are able to get through. 

What if my child needs to contact me during the school day?

Our approach to this has not changed. If a student needs to contact home during the day they can speak to a member of the pastoral team, their Year lead, KS3 and KS4 lead or any member of staff they feel comfortable talking to. We are also manning our on-call staff with devices in case we come across students needing further support. 

Will my child leave the pouch at school or bring it home?

To increase responsibility, children are given their own pouch to keep. They will bring this to and from school every day. The pouch remains with them. If a child forgets their pouch, they will have to hand their phones into the locked box in reception. 

What if my child uses their mobile phone for medical purposes?

We understand that a few students will need access to phones for medical reasons such as to check sugar levels, and they will be issued with an accessible pouch. 

Can my child bring in their smartwatch instead?

To help maintain consistency and minimise distractions during the school day, our existing uniform policy does not permit students to wear smartwatches or any wrist-worn smart devices in school. We appreciate your support and understanding in helping us uphold these expectations. 

Will my student’s phone be safe?

One of the key benefits of this solution is that students are able to keep hold of their own phone in their personal Yondr pouch for the entire school day. We would advise students to store the pouch safely in their school bag. 

What if the Yondr pouch gets damaged or a student is found to be using their phone?

Actions taken if a student is found to be using their phone or a pouch gets damaged deliberately?
First occasion	Second occasion	Third occasion (or more)
Phone confiscated Confiscation logged on ClassCharts. Parents/carers will be asked to attend a meeting, at which they will be able to collect the phone.  Students may spend one day undertaking live lessons in our Internal behaviour room	Phone confiscated Confiscation logged on ClassCharts. Parents/carers will be asked to attend a meeting, at which they will be able to collect the phone.  Students will spend one day undertaking live lessons in our internal behaviour room Students may spend the day at an alternative education placement in one of our host schools.	Phone confiscated Confiscation logged on ClassCharts. Parents/carers will be asked to attend a meeting, at which they will be able to collect the phone.  Students may spend one day undertaking live lessons in our Internal behaviour room Students may be issued with a fixed-term suspension or long-term placement at an alternative placement host school.

(Note: damage consists of any signs that the physical integrity of the pouch has been compromised as determined by the school or Yondr staff)

What if my child's mobile phone pouch is lost or damaged?

If a student damages or loses their pouch, they should let their tutor know at the earliest opportunity. 

The phone will be collected by the duty team on the doors in the morning and locked away until the end of the day, when they can collect it from reception in a locked box.

It is the child and therefore parents/carers' responsibility if pouches are lost or become damaged. The school will not be liable for pouches lost or damaged. We will contact home to arrange for a payment of £11 for a replacement pouch to be paid through ParentPay. 

From September, pouches will form part of our equipment policy, and it is the expectation that any pupil with a phone will have a pouch to place it into. 

Examples of damage to a pouch include any of the following, which prevent the pouch from functioning properly:

• Cut, torn or ripped fabric
• Bent or cut pin
• Signs of force to black button flap
• Damage to the black ball
• If a pouch opens without an unlocking station

If there is evidence that a pouch has been damaged deliberately, this will be seen as a breach of our behaviour policy and will be treated differently (see table above).

What if my child doesn't have a phone?

If your child does not own a mobile phone, or you decide as a family that they will not bring their phone to school, you will be able to let us know that this is the case, and we will be able to provide a pass. This will be checked by staff each morning to make sure nothing has changed, and if we believe this is not the case, the Headteacher will reach out for a meeting.

What if my child doesn't want to use a Yondr pouch?

Any student wishing to bring their phone to school will need to use the Yondr pouch provided. If they do not wish to use the pouch, they will not be permitted to bring a phone onto site. Doing so would be a breach of our updated behaviour policy. 

What happens if a student forgets to open their pouch at the end of the day?

The Yondr team say that this almost never happens. All students will pass the unlocking stations at key locations near the exits to the school. If they do arrive home with a phone in a pouch, they can either come back to school to unlock it or have a phone free evening.

How quickly is the unlocking process?

The unlocking process is quick, and takes under a second per student. While students are still getting used to how to unlock pouches, staff will be on hand with mobile unlocking stations. If needed, we will add extra unlocking points to ensure students are able to unlock their phones as quickly as possible to reduce frustration. Stations will be placed on the pathway into school to ensure easy access once students are outside the school building.

How much will it cost? 

Implementing this scheme will come at a significant cost to the school, but we are prioritising this because of the survey data collected from families and students. We also believe that this is the correct way to implement this new legislation. Therefore, we are not asking families to contribute any money to the first pouch. 

However: 

• If your child loses their pouch or damages their pouch in a way which stops it from functioning properly, it is the parent/carers' responsibility to purchase a new pouch at the cost of £11.

(Note: the cost of a new pouch can be paid via reception, or through Parentpay. The school will keep pouches available to purchase on site. Ordering from Yondr will take up to one week to arrive).

 

You can view our mobile phone policy by clicking below