96% of state excessive schools in Cheshire West have now both adopted or dedicated to introduce a phone-free college day from September, as Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Dan Price’s initiative continues to realize momentum.
The milestone marks one other vital step in the direction of the PCC’s ambition of making each state secondary college in Cheshire phone-free, serving to younger individuals concentrate on studying, enhancing wellbeing and decreasing the harms related with extreme smartphone use.
The scheme, which immediately helps Esther Ghey’s nationwide marketing campaign for phone-free education, gives schools with entry to lockable cellphone pouches that securely seal cell units all through the college day.*
Schools throughout Cheshire which have already launched cellphone pouches have reported vital advantages, together with enhancements in behaviour, focus, social interplay and safeguarding.
In November 2025, the PCC dedicated £150,000 over two years to assist schools adopting phone-free approaches. The initiative obtained a significant increase from the Duke of Westminster, who pledged £250,000 in the direction of the programme following issues round younger individuals’s psychological well being and on-line security.
Cheshire not too long ago turned the primary within the nation to launch a devoted on-line shopping for portal. This permits schools nationwide to simply entry lockable cellphone pouches at aggressive costs and profit from Cheshire main the way in which on phone-free education.
Dan Price, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, mentioned:
“Reaching 96% of schools in Cheshire West is a unbelievable achievement and reveals the energy of assist for phone-free education amongst college leaders, dad and mom and younger individuals themselves.
“We know smartphones can have a major impression on focus, behaviour, attendance and wellbeing through the college day. That’s why we’re working with schools to create environments the place younger individuals can concentrate on studying, construct significant relationships and revel in a break from the pressures of social media and fixed notifications.
This initiative additionally performs an vital function in serving to to maintain youngsters protected by decreasing publicity to dangerous on-line content material, cyberbullying and different digital dangers through the college day. By supporting more healthy and extra accountable expertise use, we’re serving to younger individuals to thrive each out and in of the classroom.”
Esther Ghey, Founder and Director of the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, mentioned:
“It’s unbelievable to see so many schools throughout Cheshire West committing to phone-free education.
“Children and younger individuals inform us they worth having time away from their telephones through the college day. It offers them the chance to concentrate on studying, communicate to associates face-to-face and simply get pleasure from being current within the second.
“I’m grateful to every school that has embraced this approach and put the wellbeing of young people first.”
The PCC continues to work with schools which can be contemplating introducing cellphone pouches, offering steerage, implementation assist and serving to them to entry the funding out there.
Schools that take part additionally obtain communications supplies for fogeys and pupils and implementation plans and recommendation from schools which have already efficiently launched the scheme.
While many schools have ‘out of sight’ cell bans, these are sometimes ineffective or problematic to implement.
Schools with lockable pouches are seeing fast, widespread, constructive ends in wellbeing and a dramatic discount in on-line safeguarding incidents; one quoting an 80% discount in these.