When schoolkids lock their mobile phones away in pouches for the day, amazing things happen!

In an Australian first, Wauchope Public School has been trialling lock-up pouches for students' mobile phones this term.

Wauchope Public School principal Glen Sawle said the strategy had been tried and tested in more than 1,000 schools in the United States.

Heritage Christian School in Port Macquarie will also soon come on board and Daylesford Secondary College in Victoria has conducted a day trial.

"We are the first school in Australia to implement it as a strategy that is every day and for every student," Mr Sawle said.

"We were just looking for a way to actually assist students shift their focus and attention away from their social media.

Before students enter the school grounds, they turn off their phones or put them on silent and unlock their pouches on one of five unlocking stations on the fence.

The phones are put in the Yondr pouches and stay locked until the students

"Many students are saying they are actually valuing the opportunity to be disengaged for a period of time from their technology and from their social media in particular," Mr Sawle said.

"Rather than banning phones, this is about managing screen time and managing social media time and I think these are good lessons for students in the future as adults as well."

Positive results

Mr Sawle said the feedback the school was getting was generally very positive.

"So far the data seems to suggest the trial has had a really significant impact on the quality of learning going on in the classroom not only for the students but for the teachers," he said.

Head science teacher Jayme Reid said the school had been talking about issues with mobile phones for some time.

"[We were] looking at punishments, looking at consequences — we had a pretty hard and fast rule of it 'out and it's in your bag' but it was undeliverable by teachers," Mr Reid said.

"The challenge of doing it without any physical structure was really challenging."

Data from a four-week analysis showed negative incidents with students were down by 10 per cent and suspensions were down by a third.

Mr Reid said there had been a lot of interest in the trial.

"This is not a Wauchope High School problem this is a global issue," he said.

Digital detox

School vice-captain Ella-Jai Nolland said having no phone by her side was a big adjustment.

"I was excited, nervous, mixed emotions, a little bit scared — I never really knew how addicted I was," she said.

"I'm feeling better about myself and I feel like I don't have to rely on my phone constantly."

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Source | ABC Mid-North Coast