30 secondary schools across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes will receive a share of £254,000 from Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, to implement solutions to make their schools fully phone-free.

The PCC launched the Phone Free Schools Fund in June with the aim of creating better learning environments for secondary school pupils.

Matthew Barber said: “I’m delighted to be supporting 30 local secondary schools in implementing phone-free solutions, taking money from criminals and reinvesting it back into the community.

“Creating phone-free environments in schools is not just about academic attainment; it supports safeguarding of our young people, reduces opportunities for anti-social behaviour and helps decrease the potential for young people to become involved in, or victims of, more serious crimes including exploitation.

“We cannot eliminate the risk entirely – students will still have access to their phones outside of school hours – but limiting access during the school day will guarantee pupils a break from online pressures and exposures.

“We know anecdotally from schools that have already implemented full phone-free policies that all of them have seen significant benefits and improved positive behaviours, so I am looking forward to seeing the impact of this initiative across the 30 schools funded.”

Money for the Phone Free Schools Fund has been taken from criminals, funded by the sale of seized items that cannot be returned to their rightful owners. This money can only be used for community purposes and not for frontline policing.

Schools will be able to procure their own secure storage solution, be that lockable pouches, lockers or boxes, with the stipulation that phones cannot be accessed during the school day (unless in the event of an emergency). This means that pupils can still use their phones when travelling to and from school, supporting safe travel.

The first implementation will happen as early as the upcoming autumn term.

The full list of schools receiving funding are:

• Aylesbury Vale Academy, Buckinghamshire
• Baylis Court School, Berkshire
• Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School, Berkshire
• Dedworth Middle School, Berkshire
• Denefield School, Berkshire
• Glebe Farm All-Through School, Milton Keynes
• Gosford Hill School, Oxfordshire
• Holyport College, Berkshire
• Kents Hill Park School, Milton Keynes
• Kings Academy Binfield, Berkshire
• Langley Grammar School, Berkshire
• Lord Williams’s School, Oxfordshire
• Maiden Erlegh School, Earley, Berkshire
• Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge, Sonning Common, Oxfordshire
• Maiden Erlegh School, Reading, Berkshire
• Meadowbrook College, Oxfordshire
• Oakbank School, Berkshire
• Pebble Brook School, Buckinghamshire
• Reading Girls’ School, Berkshire
• River Academy, Berkshire
• Shenley Brook End School, Milton Keynes
• Slough and Eton CofE Business and Enterprise College, Berkshire
• St Edward’s Royal Free Middle School, Berkshire
• The Cottesloe School, Buckinghamshire
• The Grange School, Buckinghamshire
• The Oxford Academy, Oxfordshire
• The Wren School, Berkshire
• UTC Reading, Berkshire
• Wexham School, Berkshire
• Wheatley Park School, Oxfordshire

Phone Free Schools Fund Decision Report