A Bolton secondary school has banned the use of mobile phones anywhere on its campus during the day to encourage pupils to talk to each other.

Turton School headteacher Sam Gorse announced the ban will come into force after the half-term break.

And the move has been backed by pupils at the school, which is one of the most popular in the borough.

The ban only applies to secondary school pupils and not students in the sixth-form.

Ms Gorse said the ban would provide positive benefits for pupils – including health to their personal development.

She said it was not a decision that she had taken lightly but there were concerns “about the harmful effects of rising mobile phone use on young people’s well-being and social development”.

Ms Gorse said: “There is much talk and research around the decline in the psychological well-being of young people, and while some of this has been attributed to isolation resulting from the pandemic, research shows that this decline started well before the pandemic and is directly connected to the enormous increase in smartphone use and social media.

"These two factors have radically changed every aspect of students’ lives, including their social interactions and their mental health. And the problems aren’t only limited to mental health.

"Extended screen time degrades attention and concentration skills, making it harder to maintain focus.”

She added: “School is possibly one of the last places that can reasonably hope to compensate for the negative effects of the universality of mobile phones. We believe that we can create sustained space and time for students to engage with each other and their learning tasks, without distraction: face-to-face and pen-to-paper. In addition, by banning mobile phone use on school premises, we can be sure that students are not exposed to harmful content, whilst in our care.”

Under the ban, pupils caught using phones face having them confiscated from a day to a week, depending on many times the rule was broken.

Pupils can bring phones into school which can only be used to and from school and not on the campus.

The move has been welcomed by pupils, who admitted the announcement ban was initially a shock to them.

A special assembly was held to explain the reasons behind the ban.

Twelve-year-old Betsy Bickerstaffe, said she was in favour of the ban.

She said: “At first, I was shocked but then realised it’s a good thing because of the wellbeing of all of the students.

“So many of us will use our phones but I only use mine for two-and-a-half hours anyway because I do a lot of hobbies.”

Autumn Ashton, also 12, said she used her phone a lot , but having the ban in place would mean she would reduce this time during school hours.

She said: “I use my phone a lot but when I have to put it down, I will.

“It really shocked me when I saw how long I used it, because you do not realise and it makes me feel bad for being on it for so long.

“I was shocked about the ban but when it was explained in assembly, I understood why.”

Some pupils said that they didn’t realise how long they were on their phone through the night and how it would impact on their homework.

Parents have approved the move at Turton School and have also insisted on instilling their own punishments.

Jessica Flatman,12, said: “My parents are on their phones more than me, but they’re happy with the ban.

“If I get my phone taken off me once, my parents will take it off me.

“And if there is an emergency, I live near the school or I know I can go to anyone who can call my parents for me.”

Assistant head teacher, Natalie Parry said: “You will see all the students on their phones during lunch time, nobody will be talking.

“This will encourage them to talk to each other and have conversations rather than have their heads down looking at a screen.”

“The students can come to us at any time for emergencies and as for not having it for a week, it’s not going to be a punishment if they don’t break the rules.”