The school's planned ban on smartphones in September 2024 is all part of the movement of local schools joining with parents and carers to protect their children and it is implicit in keeping our children safe online.
Following on from the concerns parents have over the dangers of exposing children to smartphones and in addition to the activities in school that raise awareness for online safety, there is a growing awareness campaign group that provide support, information and advice for those parents who want to protect their children.
Whilst we are keen to support the safety of all the children, please note this group is completely independent of the school. For parents and carers who need some guidance in how best ensure their children are safe online please use the links here. This group is called the ‘Smartphone Free Childhood Group’ and this is the link to it: Smartphone Free Childhood Movement
In addition to this, the group have a WhatsApp group. It must be made very clear that the school does not have any official WhatsApp Groups and that all WhatsApp groups (including the Parents WhatsApp Group) are not monitored, organised or in partnership with the school. All our official information to parents is via the website, X (formerly Twitter) and our weekly newsletter.
Parents at Wallace Fields Junior School are joining a grassroots movement of parents called Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC), which sprung up in the UK in February 2024. It triggered a national conversation about the age at which we give children smartphones. Feeling strongly about the issue, parents have started an open WFJS SFC WhatsApp group, which many parents/carers have since joined. You can also join by clicking the link WFJS Smartphone Free Childhood WhatsApp Group.