A junior school in Derby, England, has launched 'circle coaching' sessions to teach children basic conversational skills like maintaining eye contact and engaging in respectful dialogue,after teachers observed a sharp decline in social competence linked to smartphone overuse. The initiative at Shelton Junior School is part of a broader push by a coalition of local headteachers—led by Jon Bacon and Gemma Penny—to persuade parents to delay giving their children smartphones until after they leave primary school. This local action comes as the UK government, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer hinting at a potential social media ban for under-16s,weighs stricter national regulations to protect children from online harms.

Circle coaching at Shelton Junior School: retraining the lost art of face-to-face talk

According to the source article, teachers at Shelton Junior School observed that students were struggling with basic communication, including maintaining eye contact and participating in respectful dialogue, due to shortened attention spans. In respponse, the school implemented 'circle coaching' sessions in which pupils practice conversational skills directly. the sessions represent a hands-on effort to counter the social deficits that staff attribute to excessive smrtphone use, a problem that the report says has worsened over recent years.

Headteachers Bacon and Penny target the Year Seven 'rite of passage'

The coalition of Derby schools, spearheaded by headteachers Jon Bacon and Gemma Penny, is focusing its efforts on the primary-to-secondary school transition. As the source reports, many parents view the move to Year Seven as a rite of passage to purchase a phone. The coalition plans to send a letter and guidance package to families ahead of that transition, clarifying that smartphones are not required for academic success and addressing common safety concerns. The heads emphasize that smartphone usage is negatively impacting school operations and student wellbeing, and they aim to present a unified message to support parents in making informed decisions.

The eight-year-olds already asking for phones, says Cherry Tree Hill's Appleton

The pressure to own a smartphone extends well before secondary school, the article notes. Paul Appleton, head of Cherry Tree Hill Primary School in Derby, reported that children as young as eight are already expressing interest in mobile phones. The guidance provided by the coalition reassures parents that school environments are phone-free, rendering expensive smartphones unnecessary.. Schools are now incorporating smartphone discussions into parent induction processes to proactively address the issue , with the goal of preserving childhood development and peer relationships that the report says are being eroded by early screen exposure.

Keir Starmer's hinted under-16 social media ban and Derby's parallel push

Nationally, the Derby coalition's efforts mirror growing concern over children's digital wellbeing. The source article highlights that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has hinted at a potential ban on social media for under-16s, a policy described as game-changing for protecting children from online harms. This follows a study by the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign suggesting that social media has worsened childhood experiences. The Derby schools' campaign is notable for its local,bottom-up approach, targeting the moment when phone ownership typically begins, while national government considers broader regulatory action.