School's average exam results jump entire grade after phone ban
A-Level results at Excelsior Academy in Hackney, east London, improved from a grade C average to B over a year, official statistics show.
Omar Deria, the 45-year-old headmaster, credited the improvement to a new ban on students using their mobile phones in school.
He said the new rules, which see phones confiscated for up to a week if pupils are caught using them in lessons, had a 'miraculous' effect.
Mr Deria, who joined the school in 2022, said: 'On my first day, the first thing that I noticed was students glued to their phones scrolling.
'If I am honest, it was a struggle at first. It is the most important thing in their lives and they struggle when it is taken. They may not be happy in the moment, but on results day, they thank us.
'The impact in the classroom has been nothing short of miraculous. You are dealing with completely different people, their personalities are different.
'They are more articulate, chattier, nicer, more engaged, not just with the learning but with other people in general.'
Starmer rules out ban
The Government has opposed measures to introduce a nationwide ban on mobile phones in schools, saying it was unnecessary because headmasters could introduce their own restrictions.
The success of the measure at Excelsior Academy contradicts a University of Birmingham study, which in February found the bans do not improve children's marks or mental health.
Mr Deria claimed 90 per cent of the school's behavioural issues came from 'online'.
'It gets brought into school and then that takes up a lot of our time,' he said. 'Kids have a completely different personality online. There are so many truly lovely students who go online and become unrecognisable.
'If we can ban phones, then we can reduce peer-on-peer abuse and sexual harassment. If mobile phones are not banned in your school, then they are asking for trouble.'
Mr Deria's pupils expressed praise for the policy, saying it was a 'great thing'.
Cilen Garip, 17, who hopes to study law at university, said: 'It really encourages us to learn. Students were always on their phones in their free time, and it distracted not only them but the people around them.
'They would show a funny video around and it would distract the whole room. Now we can use that time to revise, and I think we get a lot more done. I don't even bother bringing my phone in anymore. I don't miss it.'
'I find myself revising more'
Hamz Hussain, 16, who wishes to study engineering at university, said: 'It has really helped me to focus and revise more. Sometimes I miss it but that makes me realise how distracting they can be.
'Since it started in September, I have found myself revising way more. It means that all our work is finished in school and we can enjoy free time more at home. I appreciate having my phone in the evening more now that it is gone in the daytime.'
Another student, Falma Hashi, said: 'Since we can't have mobile phones at school, I have become a lot more open to group social activities.
'Yesterday we played some card games and just talked rather than all sitting alone on our phones, head down, not talking. When you are on your phone, you spend a lot of time comparing yourself to people who seem to have this amazing life.
'When you are with your peers, you don't do that as much. You see, everyone is really the same as you, without the filters.'
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