Derby headteachers make smartphone plea as one reveals they’ve had to put on conversation lessons

Headteachers say children aren’t socialising the way they used to, which can lead to conflict

A group of Derby headteachers say children should not be given smartphones until they leave secondary school.

They’re calling on parents to wait until pupils are older before giving them a smartphone, with one revealing they are having to teach children how to have conversations and make eye contact.

The group has created a letter and guidance package which will be sent to families across the city as pupils prepare to transition into year seven this summer.

The initiative is led by headteachers from primary and secondary schools, including Allestree Woodlands School, Cherry Tree Hill Primary School and Shelton Junior School.

They say smartphones are damaging children’s attention spans, with many parents unaware of the impact.

Shelton Junior School headteacher Jon Bacon said schools are increasingly having to teach children basic social interaction skills that were once learned naturally outside the classroom.

He said: “Attention span is lower, concentration is lower, children are finding it harder to communicate with each other effectively, especially around conflict.”

In response, the school introduced small “circle coaching” groups where children regularly practice conversation, eye contact and respectful disagreement.

Mr Bacon added: “We’re actively teaching that now, because what we’re seeing is that the children can’t do that because they’re not socialising in the same way they used to.”

The collaboration comes as pressure grows nationally for tighter controls on children’s smartphone and social media use.

Campaigners have urged the Government to introduce stronger protections for under-16s as ministers consider further online safety measures.

Allestree Woodlands School headteacher Gemma Penny said the group of school leaders was formed at the end of 2025 when they realised they were all facing many of the same issues around phone use, online safety and social media exposure.

Secondary school leaders initially believed the biggest issue was children using smartphones after they had moved into year seven.

However, discussions with primary headteachers revealed that children were now getting phones at a much younger age.

Cherry Tree Hill Primary School headteacher Paul Appleton said: “Lower down the school, about year four, they’re starting to think about having their own mobile phones.

“That’s where the work needs to start because almost by the time it gets to secondary, it’s too late.”

The group decided to focus on the transition period between primary and secondary school, as many parents feel it is a ‘rite of passage’ to buy their child a phone at this stage.

The guidance will reassure families that smartphones are not necessary for children to succeed at school and that schools across Derby are increasingly becoming phone-free environments.

Ms Penny said: “Schools in Derby city will be phone-free and therefore [we say] don’t buy your child an expensive smartphone because they’re not going to be allowed to use it in school anyway.”

They also aim to address parental anxieties about safety, which teachers say is one of the biggest reasons parents choose to give their children smartphones.

Mr Appleton said schools had felt increasingly compelled to act as smartphone use began affecting children’s communication and well-being.

“It got to the point where we’ve seen some parents pick their children up staring at a phone, they never even speak to each other, no eye contact or anything,” he said.

Mr Appleton knew he needed to address the issue head-on and, like Mr Bacon, introduced smartphone and online safety education into the school’s curriculum.

He said: “We also do it as part of our induction process for new parents, we talk about smartphones and their use.

“Nursery and reception parents don’t think it’s relevant to them.

“And we’re saying yes, but now it is the time for us to have that conversation before it becomes relevant for you.”

He added that the new approach is vital in ensuring schools deliver a consistent message to families across the city.

“We’ve finally got consensus that every child in Derby, when they go to secondary school from September, will be given a letter that we’ve all agreed to say to their children that you do not need to bring a smartphone into school,” he said.

Mr Bacon believes the project’s strength lies in schools working together rather than acting individually.

He added: “Most of us feel that this is affecting the operation of our schools and the health and well-being of the children we look after.

“We want to do all we can to support that, and I think this unified message is definitely going to do that.”