The Warriner School sees success with phone-free space scheme using Yondr phone case

The Warriner School has introduced the Yondr, a simple, lockable case which stores the students’ mobile phone. Every student secures their mobile phone in a personally assigned Yondr case when they arrive at school.

Students maintain possession of their phones and don’t use them until they open their case at the end of the school day – unlocking devices are available in all classrooms. Students are required to bring their Yondr case to and from school every day. They are responsible for their case at all times and their phone stays with them all day. The school also has Velcro cases for those few students who use their phones during the day for medical reasons, so therefore need to access their phones quickly.

The school already had a mobile phone policy in place, which involves students’ phones being switched off and left in the bottom of their bag and only turned on and used in either an emergency or as the students left the school site.

The new phone-free space scheme with the use of the Yondr cases was introduced earlier this year in January, and helps solidify the school's policy of no mobile phone use between 8.30am and 3pm. Every student in the school has their own individual Yondr case.

The school found the Yondr case to be a helpful solution to the 21st century problem of students being on their phones too much, especially when it was not appropriate in lessons, during assemblies and tutor times.

Head of school Sharon Nicholls said: "The school is very encouraged by the positive impact of Yondr.

"Yondr provides our students with a haven, to get away from the digital world of social media and engage with the real world around them.

"It is changing the way our students interact with their friends and this is having a truly energising impact within our school community.

"In the near future, if you’re attending a concert, comedy show or a live performance, you might be required to put your smartphone in one of these little cases first – phone-free spaces for adults is becoming increasingly common amongst the world of entertainment."

The whole school is now considered a 'phone-free space' with the implementation of the Yondr case and its usage by the students.