Is it possible to find a school with very little/no exposure to digital??

[OlliEliza]

My child will start reception next year, and I've just got to know that all of the schools in my area rely heavily on screens from a young age. (I'd like to keep in mind both primary and secondary schools.)This is absolutely a deal breaker for me. Is it possible to find a primary school with no screens at all, and is it possible to find a secondary school with very minimal exposure to them? What I mean is no mandatory iPads; books, and exercise books in daily use, handwritten homework, computers used for IT, research, etc.

What is going on is truly appalling for me. The only school that I've found is a Montessori school, but it's very expensive. Any luck in finding those schools?

I'd be surprised at a primary school relying heavily on screens - ours doesn't use them at all in the younger years (other than the odd cartoon at wet play / Newsround / informational video about a project). They start having IT lessons on computers in Y4. No iPads.

As they get older, children do need experience of using technology because it's vital in the working world. There aren't many jobs you can do where you don't need to be able to navigate around a laptop and type to a reasonable ability.

Realistically you won't find many, if any schools who now don't have smart boards but schools still use books, have children writing by hand and I don't know any state schools that require mandatory iPads so I guess it really depends on what you mean by using screens?

I think most schools. especially secondaries will encourage developing digital competency. I work with adults who are returning to continue their education at a later time, and many if not all, have found that their lack of IT skills is making finding a job and doing it well incredibility hard. It fact, I'd say it probably holds them back more than weak English and maths skills.

Not saying that children should be having everything taught to them on screens, by any means, it's important for them to learn to do lots of other things too, but I think they need to be developing their familiarity with IT, in the same way that they are developing maths or English skills, so that they have a decent level of competency in it, like they would in other subjects to be a grounding for developing skills they need in those areas later on.

The only part of your intended outcomes that might be hard to find is homework done by hand.

Apps are very effective for homework because they can adapt to each child's needs in a way that printed work can't. They are also extremely easy to monitor and time isn't wasted marking work that may well have been completed by an adult or a friend. This frees up time for planning and assessment of classwork. Most schools I know of now set homework in computers, while most classwork is not screen-based. Exercise books will be used daily in primary, not least because writing assessment requires good handwriting.

I’d be really disappointed that my child’s school had decided to not teach the computing curriculum for years 1-3 personally.

Ive literally never seen a school without an interactive whiteboard/screen in every classroom either, and in my experience teachers will use these to present information in most lessons.

OP I think your best bet is a private forest school type set up if you want no screens at all. There are some which won’t have 1:1 iPad/laptop policies (especially at primary) but I expect homework etc will still be set on apps and there will be some screen usage from early years.

I disagree. There’s plenty of information about how many screens affect mental health, concentration, and learning. What do you mean by digital competency? I had my first computer at 16, and it was quite limited. I’m not struggling in this area now. There is no link between tapping, scrolling, and copy-pasting on your iPad at school and at home and gaining the digital skills that can be taught in separate IT lessons (like coding, doing design in programs, typing etc)

Our local secondary school gives every child an iPad. I don't think there's a chance to go by any other route.

Look for private forest schools, Montessori or Steiner schools.

what about grammar schools? Are they actually the same as all the rest of the secondary schools?

That's just one secondary school though. Your child isn't even in primary school yet? By the time they reach year 7 the school will likely be very different.

I am impressed they have the budget for it though. Must be part of an academy with deep pockets.

State primary schools will follow the National Curriculum which includes computing. I think parents really overestimate the amount screens are used in many primaries though. Our infants probably use a Chromebook for half an hour once a fortnight on average. Our juniors probably have 3 screen free days a week and do no more than an hour, split up, on the other 2. All our homework is in exercise books. Writing has to be done by hand as handwriting is part of the curriculum requirements.

Grammar schools are state secondaries which have an exam you ha to pass to get in. They follow the national curriculum and the kids do the same exams etc as other state schools. They are just as likely as any other to use computers and iPads.

I don't think there is any point in worrying about secondary schools now, unless you are intending to move house now to ensure primary and secondary are screen free.

My DC secondary school uses less screens now than when my kids started there, so secondary schools for sure are taking note. Many have a no phones policy.

Surprised at the use in primaries. Mine used no homework apps, everything was handwritten. I used to worry a bit that they watched too much TV at school but that was it. This was a few years ago, have things really changed that much (in primaries)?

The computing curriculum has been as it is for 12 years. It has required primaries to use screens for computing for much longer than this.

Most primaries also use a gamified app (usually times tables rock stars) for learning tables; this is very effective. They also often use other apps for general homework.

I do some primary supply teaching and the differences between schools are huge. Some have the TV/interactive whiteboard on all the live long day in EYFS and then others never have them on at all, even when it’s a wet playtime.

I went to a school recently where they had cartoons on a projector during lunch when the children were eating. Then the next day I was at a school with ‘family dining’ where the children sat at round tables with children from all different classes and served themselves from dishes.

So yes, schools that don’t rely on screens definitely do exist. I would think all you can do is visit them and see.

I think you are worrying too soon, the curriculum and styles of teaching and delivery will all change by the time your child gets near secondary age. Worry about it when you need to.

2nd vote for Steiner/Waldorf schools

I’d rather my dc was on screens than at a Steiner wardolf school.

My youngest child is at a primary school where they introduce computer use in small amounts in ks1 and more structured computer lessons as they get older in ks2 everything is still hand written they started introducing more computer learning after Covid they now offer home learning if school has to close on platforms things like google classroom
we also have things like timetable rockstars that are great for learning I think it’s just having a balance between the things

my older daughter is in year 7 they still write everything in exercise books but everything else about school life revolves around teams and other platforms they have no text book etc to bring home she’s at a grammar school
we recently also had parents evening over the computer

I work in a reception class, we have had iPads/laptops out half a dozen times this year for specific ICT lessons. We know a lot of our children have a lot of technology exposure at home so try to limit it in class or make it purposeful

Given that coding is part of the curriculum from reception you won't find a school that doesn't use them.

Lots of primary schools use digital programmes to teach languages, they use them for maths games to support learning.

Every high school that I know of locally and through friends across the country have all homework online, saves the "dog ate my homework" excuses!

If you want a complete embargo then you are going to have to homeschool.

I've worked in quite a lot of primary schools. In reception they don't really use Ipads. They do watch something on the screen most days, like Numberblocks or something, and often do an exercise dance thing on the screen, but it's not for long. The teacher uses the smart board for most of the input, so it depends if you class that as screen time or not.
I don't find Ipad use in other years to be excessive. They might use them for maths games now and then. When they finish a reading book they sometimes access a quiz on the book, but that doesn't seem like a bad thing, it's a way of checking comprehension of the text when everyone has a different book.
Apart from this everything is mostly books and pencils, with print outs of information to work from, or text books. At secondary there is even less tech, unless it's a computing lesson.

As a teacher I think you’ve misunderstood how screens are used in education. They are used to enhance learning. I use my smart board a lot in teaching to support what we are doing. Children use an app to learn times tables (this is very effective). They do a lot in exercise books etc. they read books (not screens), homework is handwritten. They are certainly not scrolling and tapping on screens and I find your assumption quite patronising.

that said, do look into the schools and start doing proper research rather than thinking grammar schools are the answer when they’re clearly secondary schools etc.

I think you totally misunderstood my point. I’m not against technology when it’s used purposefully, and I do want children to be exposed to it — but in specific lessons where they can learn things like coding, proper typing, organising files and folders, creating presentations, and so on.

I’m also not against visual boards when they’re genuinely needed.

What I don’t really see the point in is gamifying learning when it can easily be done without screens. Why constantly play maths games when there are millions of other ways to teach maths? Why give every child a 1-to-1 tablet for language learning instead of using a visual board or more traditional methods?

They don't constantly play maths games, it's just a small part of the subject. Occasionally children who have finished their work are also allowed to do it while they are waiting. Most of the input is as you would expect - board, books, pencils, physical maths aids.