Online safety and smartphone free childhoods
One of the biggest risks to children at Courthouse is online safety.
The links below provide parents with information about how they can keep their children safe.
SMARTPHONE FREE CHILDHOODS
From September 2025, Alwyn and Courthouse will become smartphone-free schools, promoting better mental health and academic focus. We want to empower parents to be able to take back control over the pressure to provide their children with a smart phone and encourage them (through collective action) delay giving them until children start year 9 or later in Secondary school. Over the summer term, help your children adjust by limiting smartphone use and exploring alternative activities. Practice walking to and from school without a smartphone (Airtags and similar devices are allowed). Parents can provide a non-smartphone alternative, which will be collected by the class teacher. We will also be encouraging parents to limit their use of a smartphone device on school grounds and will also be reviewing our online platforms and systems to help families tackle the digital demands of modern life.
Many schools in the local authority including Secondary schools are doing the same and the Local Authority will be looking to support with a Borough wide statement on the challenge of managing smartphones through childhood soon.
FAQ & Answers:
- Can my child bring a smart watch? No.
- What happens if my child brings a smartphone to school? It will be held in the office until the end of the week for parent collection.
- Do schools have a right to confiscate a smartphone? Yes, as per our behaviour policy and the Education Act, supported by DFE guidelines.
- When can I collect the phone if it is confiscated? Fridays between 2 and 3:45 pm from the office.
- What about the risk of walking to school? Consider sending a non-smartphone. We will contact families if a child does not arrive. Airtags or similar devices are allowed. Establishing a walking bus with other families is also an option.
- What about online homework? We are reviewing our online systems. We support supervised online access over unrestricted smartphone use.
- My child doesn’t have a smartphone but uses an iPad/video game. Is this okay? Families should consider this carefully. These devices can pose similar risks as smartphones. We aim to support delaying smartphone use until Year 9. Extending this reflection to other digital access can be beneficial.
SMARTPHONE FREE CHILDHOOD EVENT - 25th September 2025
On the 25th September, come and join us for an introduction to smart phone free childhoods, a session on digital lives with Tanya Goodin our Guest speaker. This is a limited event as we have only 200 spaces in our hall. We have limited this to maximum two spaces per family. Please book a space via link below. Please also note that children are not permitted to attend this event due to the content and nature of the information that we are discussing.
SMARTPHONE FREE LETTERS, DOCUMENTS AND GUIDANCE
Text to Parents 03/03/2025
Dear Parents,
Please see the following message below from the Smart Phone Free Childhood Team. This follows on from our event in January hosted across both Alwyn and Courthouse. We have already had many parents sign up to the smartphone parent pledge. If you would like to find out more please visit our school page here and then sign up to the parent pledge here.
Next Friday, March 7th, MPs will debate the Safer Phones Bill in Parliament. We need your MP to be there. The government is listening, and everything is at stake. Thanks to your support, they are finally considering taking action.
Now, we need to ensure MPs attend the debate to get this done. Please email your MP to remind them to attend. We've drafted the email for you, so it only takes a minute, but it could make a lifetime of difference for a generation of kids.
�� Email your MP in 60 seconds here: https://smartphonefreechildhood.eaction.org.uk/safer-phones-final
Imagine looking back and knowing that together, we helped change the law. We stood up for children, their mental health, and their childhoods—against a tech industry that has prioritized profit over our kids' well-being for far too long. This is the moment. Let’s make it count.
With hope,
Team SFC
Join us on the 21st January 2025 to hear more about the Smartphone Free Childhood movement. It is a grassroots movement of parents who believe childhood's too short to be spent on a smartphone. Guest speaker Tanya Goodin is a digital detox expert and will provide advice and information on achieving a Smartphone Free Childhood. Ticket Booking: https://www.alwyncourthousepta.com/event-info/smartphone-free-childhood-event
Jonathan Haidt & Smartphone Free Childhood talk - 21.03.24
The Smartphone Free Childhood movement began in February 2024 when friends Daisy and Clare set up a WhatsApp group to support each other in the decision to hold off on buying their kids smartphones. To their amazement, within 24 hours, thousands of other parents had joined the group after an Instagram post by Daisy about it went viral.
Here are a few suggestions to help ensure their online safety and well-being:
- Regular Conversations: Talk to your child about their online activities. Ask them who they are communicating with and what platforms they are using.
- Set Boundaries: Establish clear rules about mobile phone use, including appropriate times and places for using their devices.
- Monitor Activity: Periodically review your child's messages and social media interactions. This can help you identify any potential issues early on.
- Encourage Kindness: Remind your child of the importance of being kind and respectful online, just as they would be in person.
- Report Concerns: If you notice any concerning behavior or messages, please report them to the school so we can address the issue promptly.
How to keep your child safe using What's App
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