An independent school in London has banned all types of technological devices – including smartphones, computers and televisions – and pupils aren’t allowed to use them even on holidays.
Acorn School, which was founded in 2013 and has annual fees of up to £11,000, even asks parents to make the commitment to the same technology-free environment at home.
The purpose of the ban of technology up to the age of 14, according to one of the founding parents of the school, is to help children become “active creators” rather than “passive consumers”.
Andrew Thorne, chair of the boards of directors at Acorn School, which took its inspiration on the ban of technology from a school with the same name in Gloucestershire, said: “The purpose [of the ban on technology] is to allow children space to grow. So instead of turning them into consumers of technology and television, they have to learn to create their own activities.
“It is about encouraging creativity so that the children are active creators rather than passive consumers.”
Pupils at the school are forbidden to watch television before the age of 12, after that they are only allowed to watch documentaries that have been approved by parents, according to the schools rules.
Students can only watch movies until they are 14; surfing the web both at home and school is not allowed until the age of 16 and computers are only to be used as part of the school curriculum for over-14s.
The school charter reads: “We are against all forms of electronics for small children … and only gradual integration towards it in adolescence. That includes the internet. In choosing this school, you have undertaken to support that view, no matter what you may feel personally.”
Reports of the Acorn school follow research that shows that parents are increasingly concerned about the time their children spend on technology.
A report earlier this year revealed children are too busy playing games online rather than spending time on the sun during holidays.
The report also follows calls for parents to police the screen time of their children at home as well.
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Source: Telegraph