Overview

• Blackhorse Primary will prohibit all smartphones in school and may allow basic ‘brick’ phones for emergency calls only.
• The decision follows an incident in which a Year 6 pupil’s device gathered 9,000 WhatsApp messages overnight after being left in a classroom cupboard.
• A survey showed 87% of Blackhorse parents backed the outright ban while 58% at sister school Emersons Green support a similar measure pending governors’ approval.
• Executive headteacher Simon Botten highlighted rising cyberbullying, online predatory behaviour and negative impacts on pupils’ mental health as key factors.
• Avon & Somerset Police led parent workshops on online safety before governors voted to implement the ban in September.