Dear Parents & Community,
 
As we have seen in our schools, businesses and homes, technology has delivered many benefits in the way we learn, conduct business and interact.
 
In the context of our schools, OneSchool Global is faced with the same challenge that any school is currently faced with – the fine line that strikes the balance between technology being a help or a hindrance in learning.
 
Across the globe, from the Government-level through to individual school campuses including many of the world’s best schools, the need for students to have personal connected devices such as phones, tablets, smartwatches/fitness trackers is being reconsidered.
 
In France, connected devices have been banned during teaching hours within schools since 2010. In 2018, this ban was increased to cover non-teaching hours. The French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer was quoted saying the law was designed to “protect children and adolescents”.
 
A simple internet search will highlight multiple other examples of such bans – prominent schools in Sydney such as Newington College and Tara Anglican School for Girls are among these, as would be many examples in each region.
 
At OneSchool, like many other schools, we have considered our position on this within the context of the health and education impact on our students, and also within the context of the protection of our young people in the upholding of our community values and principles.
 
OneSchool will now follow the many examples highlighted above and personal connected devices such as mobile phones, tablets and smart-watches/fitness-trackers will now be banned from campuses and from transport to and from campus.
 
We will continue to use technology to supplement and drive student learning outcomes, and with the personal computers owned and supplied by the school and the on-campus technology we provide to students, it is felt we have all we need to support student learning, without the need for these other technologies at this point in time.
 
Parents are asked to take notice of this advice, speak to your children and ensure that such student devices are left at home each day.
 
We thank you for your ongoing support as we seek to ensure we deliver high quality learning outcomes for our students and ensure their ongoing protection.
 
Kind Regards,
OneSchool Global Leadership Team