London teacher launches 12-hour school day to combat students' excessive smartphone use

A West London headteacher has launched a 12-hour school day to combat students' excessive smartphone use. Andrew O'Neill, All Saints Catholic College in Notting Hill, initiated the ten-week trial scheme allowing students to be at school from 7am to 7pm.

Instead of heading home to spend hours on their phones, students will engage in various activities like dodgeball, basketball, art, drama, and cookery. Speaking of his concerns to The Times, he said: “I found some of the most shocking things I have ever seen on confiscated phones.” This included students involved in activities like blackmailing and catfishing.

Though the school banned phones in 2016, students are allowed to keep them in bags or lockers. O'Neill, a former Headteacher of the Year with an "outstanding" Ofsted rating, highlighted the rise in online crimes like cyberbullying, sexting, and blackmail among students. He mentioned that many students struggle with making eye contact and forming genuine friendships, often preferring to play online games with strangers even late at night.

“We have a long-term issue we need to solve," O'Neill said. "If we don't, we'll have a generational problem affecting workplaces and society. Some children are so apathetic; they are buried in their phones.”

Parents will pay £10 a week per pupil for this optional scheme, with support from Kensington and Chelsea Council, West London Zone, and Oracy. It targets children in years 7 and 8, with about 25 children attending the breakfast session on the first day. O'Neill aims to send students home filled with positive experiences rather than isolating themselves with screens.

He compared the initiative to private schools, saying: “The state system can offer similar opportunities at a low cost to families." Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, O'Neill acknowledged the challenging environment they work in but praised the aspirational nature of the families they serve. He also said his own children only have phones without social media apps.

O'Neill hopes to offer students a childhood similar to his own in Barton, near Darlington, emphasizing outdoor play over online activities. He stressed parents' responsibility in monitoring their children’s smartphone use for safety, suggesting social services or even police action for negligence.