Latest news with #OmarDeria
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
London headteacher brags his school exam results have jumped a grade since he introduced a no-nonsense ban on phones despite Labour claiming policy is unnecessary
A London headteacher boasted about his schools improved exam results thanks to a strict phone ban, despite Labour branding pleas for a policy to bar devices from classrooms a 'headline grabbing gimmick'. Excelsior Academy in Hackney, east London, saw their average A-level grades jump from a C to a B in the last year. And the school's headteacher, Omar Deria, 45, has boiled down their recent success to barring phones at the academy. Describing the impact as 'miraculous', he explained new rules mean a pupil's caught using such devices can have them taken away for as long as a week. Recalling his first day at the school in 2022, Mr Deria said the students were 'glued to their phones scrolling.' Although the headmaster confessed it was a 'struggle' to tear the children away from the tech at first, he claims they thank teachers when results day rolls around. 'The impact in the classroom has been nothing short of miraculous. You are dealing with completely different people, their personalities are different,' he said. 'They are more articulate, chattier, nicer, more engaged, not just with the learning but with other people in general.' It comes after the Government rejected demands for a blanket ban on mobile phones in classrooms amid fears they are damaging educational standards. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson previously rejected a Tory call for tougher action to limit social media exposure, saying the plea was a 'headline grabbing gimmick'. The Government argued headteachers and schools already have sufficient powers to remove mobile phones from teachers. A study from the University of Birmingham also found phone bans in schools didn't have any positive effect on students. The study monitored 1,227 students from 30 schools across England - 20 of which had restrictions on using phones during school time. Their analysis found no connection between phone bans and higher grades, improved mental wellbeing, or better physical health. However, this may be because banning phones fails to reduce the total amount of time children spend on smartphones and social media throughout the week. The bans only succeeded in reducing smartphone and social media use by 40 minutes and 30 minutes per day respectively, as pupils made up the difference at home. However, Excelsior Academy headteacher, Mr Deria, alleged most of his school's behavioural problems stemmed from online, as students became 'unrecognisable' in their behaviour'. 'Around 90 percent of problems we deal with come from online. It gets brought into school and then that takes up a lot of our time,' he added. '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.' Students have also sung the praises of the new ban, with one student saying it helps encourages them to learn by reducing distraction. Cilen Garip, 17, explained they are able to get more done as they are less distracted by funny videos being shared around classrooms. 'Students were always on their phone in their free time, and it distracted not only them but the people around them,' he said. '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.' 16-year-old Hamz Hussain, who hopes to go on to study engineering at university, revealed the ban has helped his ability to focus on the schoolwork at hand. 'Sometimes I miss it but that makes me realise how distracting they can be,' he added: '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 peer, Falma Hashi, also divulged its improved their ability to socialise in person as they play card games and talk more often without their phones in hand. 'Yesterday we played some card games and just talked rather than all sitting alone on our phones, head down not talking,' they said. '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.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
School's average exam results jump entire grade after phone ban
A school's average exam results improved by an entire grade after mobile phones were banned. 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.' 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.' 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.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Telegraph
School's average exam results jump entire grade after phone ban
A school's average exam results improved by an entire grade after mobile phones were banned. 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.'
