Yondr Phone Pouches

We will be making our school a phone-free space to improve teaching and learning using a system called Yondr. Yondr has been implemented in over 3,000 schools across 21 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment.  Yondr phone pouches will be introduced during the 2024/25 academic year, initially with Year 7.

We believe that phones have great utility. We have also found that learning and social behavior improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates.

The Yondr Program utilises a simple, secure pouch that stores a phone. Every student will secure their phone in a personally assigned Yondr pouch when they arrive at school. Students will maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day. Students are required to bring their Yondr pouch to and from school every day and are responsible for their pouch at all times.

Yondr recently surveyed over 900 school partners to measure the effects of creating phone-free educational environments. These schools achieved notable progress in multiple areas:

• 65% of schools saw an improvement in academic performance
• 74% of schools saw an improvement in student behavior
• 83% of schools saw an improvement in student engagement in the classroom
• 86% of schools saw a positive impact on student safety and wellness

If there is an emergency and you would like to get in contact with your child, please telephone the school on 01932 784258.

In an effort to best serve your child, we appreciate your full support in adoption of the Yondr Program at our school.

How Yondr Works - Frequently Asked Questions

 

What if I want to reach my child during the school day?
We want our students to be engaged in their learning. If you need to contact your child during the school day, contact the main office on 01932 784258.

What if there is a school emergency?
In case of a school emergency, we direct our students to safety first, following our school emergency preparedness protocol.

Will my student’s phone be safe?
Students are in possession of their phone - in their Yondr pouch - for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch in their backpacks where it is completely safe.  Every student issued witha Yondr pouch is expected to bring it to school every day.

What if the Yondr pouch gets damaged or a student is caught on their phone?
If a student damages their Pouch or is caught on their phone, we will collect the phone/Pouch and call home.  The Parent will come to the school and pick up their child’s phone and an after school correction will be issued.

Yondr phone pouches are on long term loan from the school.  Damaged pouches will be billed to parents at a cost of £25.  Pouches must be returned if a child moves school.  Note: Damage consists of any signs that the physical integrity of the pouch has been compromised, whether intentional or unintentional, as determined by the school or Yondr staff.

What happens if a student forgets to open their pouch at the end of the day?
In Yondr’s experience, this almost never happens. All students funnel past the unlocking stations at the exits, they want their phones back and don’t forget to unlock their pouches. If they do arrive home with a phone in a pouch, they can either come back to school to unlock it, or have a phone free evening!

How quick is the unlocking process?
The unlocking process is quick, and takes under a second per student. While students are still getting used to how to unlock pouches, staff will be on hand with mobile unlocking stations to stop queues forming in the first few weeks. If needed we will add extra unlocking points.