Elite British School Bans Laptops in Classrooms, Prioritizing Pen and Paper

Winchester College, a historic private school in Hampshire, England, has reintroduced pen and paper as the primary tools for nearly all classroom and homework activities, seeking to counter the perceived negative impact of laptops on student learning.

Head Elizabeth Stone stated that allowing laptops while banning phones would be ineffective, as the distracting functionalities of phones can easily translate to laptops or tablets. "There's no point just tackling the phones if we're going to say, 'Here's a laptop that you have to have with you all the time' ... because the vast majority of the activity that they're doing on the phone can then shift as easily onto a tablet or a laptop," Stone explained.

She noted that teachers observed a significant increase in internet use, including immediate email checks, within the first ten minutes of lessons, suggesting laptops were a source of distraction. Stone, who became the school's first female head in 2023, rejected the notion of students effectively multitasking on these devices, arguing instead that laptops facilitate "fragmented attention switching."

Under the new policy, homework for younger students (Years 9 and 10) must be completed manually. Older students will only be permitted to use laptops if their use is shown to be "substantially" beneficial to the learning objectives of a particular lesson.

"We made it clear to teachers we do not want the laptop to be the default way of working. If it can be done in another way without the technology, you should," Stone told The Sunday Times.

This move by Winchester College contrasts with recent educational policies in some regions that advocate for increased screen use in classrooms to enhance technological proficiency. However, the school's decision aligns with growing concerns among some parents and educators about screen addiction among children and its potential detriment to their development and academic progress.

Stone reported that the reduction in technology use has already led to improved student concentration and engagement during lessons. "They weren't simultaneously chatting to each other and sending instant messages. They didn't have access to YouTube. They weren't watching football reels," she said.

The shift away from widespread laptop use at Winchester College comes as other educational initiatives, such as a £23 million scheme in the UK to expand the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms, are being implemented. Critics have voiced concerns that such policies may prioritize cost savings over evidence-based educational practices.