Want to transform a pupil's life? Just ban their phones, says Brighton College headmaster Richard Cairns (He did and they even thanked him for it)

Pupils have taken to board games since he restricted phone use in September

Interest in sport and drama has also risen and children enjoy real conversations

By RICHARD CAIRNS, HEAD TEACHER OF BRIGHTON COLLEGE

PUBLISHED: 02:34 BST, 25 June 2018 | UPDATED: 05:10 BST, 25 June 2018

Look around the school where I work, and at lunchtimes these days you will see groups of pupils huddled together in intense concentration.

You might imagine they’re poring over the tiny screens of their mobile phones, giggling at some YouTube video or app. But no, they are actually battling over a game of Cluedo or Monopoly, seeking the bragging rights of having outwitted their classmates.

In our sometimes bewildering age of technological sophistication, such traditional games might seem but a quaint throwback for a generation who’ve grown up with computers, tablets and mobile phones.

Yet one of my more gratifying experiences has been to witness their miraculous revival among the pupils of Brighton College, a mixed independent school where I am the Head Master.

To the surprise of many of them, they’ve become completely absorbed in the intrigue and strategy of games such as Cluedo, Monopoly and Risk, which are teaching them to celebrate their triumphs and accept their setbacks.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5881397/Ban-pupils-mobile-p...