Students who need a phone for their commute are allowed to bring a basic “brick” phone, according to the school policy, but this must be stored in a locker during the day.
Sixth form students, meanwhile, are permitted to use smartphones in designated areas only.
“There’s overwhelming national evidence about the negative impact of smartphones on mental health [and] anxiety,” Wallis explained.
“Many of our low-level behaviour issues are because they’ve got this over stimulation and the phone is just pinging constantly.
“We wanted to establish a distraction-free learning environment where lessons could flow, learning was uninterrupted and students could focus on being young people.”
The government has promised to bring in a legal ban on smartphones in schools in England.
A Department for Education spokesperson previously said the majority of schools already prohibited phones and that mobile phone policies would be monitored as part of Ofsted inspections.
