Mobile phone free period in Hafnarfjörður's primary schools in April
The time has come. Phone-free time is now in all of Hafnarfjörður's primary schools. It started today and will run until April. Its purpose is to foster good communication between pupils, increase concentration in learning, and avoid unnecessary distractions in schoolwork. The phone-free period is a pilot scheme within the schools that could take flight.
The phones fall silent and the conversation begins!
A phone-free period will be held in all of Hafnarfjörður's primary schools in April. The purpose of the phone-free period is to foster good communication between pupils, increase concentration in learning, and avoid unnecessary distractions in schoolwork. The phone-free period is a pilot project within the schools that could take flight.
A phone-free period in all of the town's primary schools was a proposal from the Hafnarfjörður Parents' Council, put forward at a meeting of the council on 21 February 2024. It was approved as a pilot project in April 2024 for a trial period and applies to pupils in years 1-10. The pupils will therefore not have their phones with them during school hours in April, that is:
- not during lessons or break time
- on footpaths or school grounds
Phones will therefore be kept on silent in a school bag if he cannot be at home during the school day, and are to remain untouched until the end of the school day. However, the phone-free period does not only apply to mobile phones; this pilot project also extends to the use of tablets for purposes other than those provided for by the school as part of its daily curriculum. In the run-up to the decision, the proposal was presented and consulted on with the Hafnarfjörður Youth Council and headteachers of primary schools, who supported it.
Harmonised telephone rules for the schools in April
Mobile phone policies exist in some form in every primary school in Hafnarfjörður today, and their implementation is the responsibility of each individual school. This pilot project on a mobile phone-free day sharpens these existing rules, applying to all primary schools regardless of the policies already in place at each school. During the phone-free period, there has been an encouragement for increased recreational activities during break times and in after-school activities, as well as for positive, in-person interactions between pupils.
The Education and Public Health Department of Hafnarfjörður encourages parents to take an active part in the phone-free April, an encouragement we can all take on board.