Ormiston Academy schools in Norfolk to become phone-free

The Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT) will restrict phone use by students while they are at school, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper. 

The trust has already begun reducing access to phone usage at its schools across the country. 

OAT runs nine schools in Norfolk including Ormiston Venture Academy, Cliff Park Ormiston Academy, Ormiston Herman Academy and Ormiston Cliff Park Primary Academy, all located in Gorleston. 

Ormiston Victory Academy in Costessey, City of Norwich School, Edward Worlledge Ormiston Academy in Great Yarmouth, Flegg High Ormiston Academy in Martham, and Broadland High Ormiston Academy in Hoveton are also run by the educational trust. 

Ormiston Venture Academy in Gorleston (Image: Nick Butcher) READ MORE: City school named as finalist in Independent Schools of the Year awards

The trust has already banned access to phones at its primary, special needs and alternative provision schools with its chief executive Tom Rees saying it was also needed across secondary schools to improve learning. 

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Mr Rees said: "We are seeing a clear correlation between mental health and mobile phone and social media use, in particular. 

"Not all mobile phone use is equal and the relationship between that and adolescent mental health, we think, is overwhelming. 

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Flegg High Ormiston Academy in Martham (Image: Flegg High Ormiston Academy) "There is a responsibility for society to respond, and a responsibility for schools to make it harder for children to access inappropriate content through the school day and restrict the draw of social media."

Mr Rees also added that he believed schools allowing students to keep their phones during the school day is an inadequate response to the disruption phones can cause. 

It is not yet known when the new phone-free policies will come into place at the OAT-run schools in the county.