'Britain's strictest headteacher' convinces parents to ban smartphones as kids' grades soar

Katharine Birbalsingh, founder of the famously strict Michaela Community School in north-west London, insists students without smartphones perform better in class.

It comes amid mounting pressure on the government to enforce a statutory phone ban at schools owing to the "damaging impact" on young people.

Speaking to LBC, Ms Birbalsingh claimed pupils who don’t own smartphones are more likely to rise into the top sets, while those with phones often get bumped down.

She said the school “pushes the idea for as long as we can” that parents shouldn’t give their children smartphones at all.

According to the headteacher, around half of Year 7 parents follow her advice, while others wait until their children turn 16.

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Ms Birbalsingh said: "We as a school very much try and push for as long as we can the idea that parents shouldn't give their children a smartphone at all.

"About half of our year seven families listen to us and don't give their children a smartphone; some of them hold out all the way until year eleven and they don't give their children a smartphone until age 16.

"It doesn't surprise me that the kids with phones are the ones who end up dropping in their sets at school in terms of ability and the ones who don't have phones end up rising.

"I only have anecdotes but the phone comes away and suddenly the kid starts rising; the kid is given a phone and they start descending. This happens with all kinds of kids from different backgrounds - low ability, top ability etc."

Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, this week launched a campaign for a statutory phone ban in schools, believing it "would have really helped" her daughter.

She has now written an open letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for a statutory ban that would see pupils unable to access their phones for the entire school day, unless they are exempt for medical or accessibility reasons.

The letter has been signed by several high-profile figures, including actress Kate Winslet, actor Stephen Graham, and several MPs.

Under the former Conservative government, schools were issued non-statutory guidance intending to stop the use of phones during the school day.

A survey by the Children’s Commissioner earlier this year found 90% of secondary schools and 99.8% of primary schools already have policies in place to stop the use of phones during the school day.

However, the survey found around 10% of secondary schools allowed pupils to use their phones at some point during the school day.