‘Ultimate distraction’: Why this top Sydney school has resisted screens in class

In 2016, Grammar’s outgoing principal John Vallance said iPads and screens were a diversion from old-school teaching that hindered classroom conversation. The school now has laptops that can be booked by teachers for students to use in lessons when necessary, Malpass said.

“Over the past decade, plenty of school leaders have made decisions that every student will use an iPad or laptop, and have digital textbooks and use e-libraries. But very little, if any, thought has been given to whether it will improve the classroom,” he said.

“There’s an expectation that teenagers, even children as young as eight or nine, can maintain a sustained focus on the teacher when they’ve been given this ultimate tool of distraction.”

The school, which charges $45,987 a year, did not have a separate tech levy as part of annual fees, Malpass said. Laptops are generally used by students for specific tasks such as an assessment, research, a major project or for working on a group presentation.

“There is no question there are moments when laptops are useful in lessons. But as a default position, it’s unhelpful and distracting,” he said. “We are also firm believers in handwriting, which is so important as HSC exams are still largely written by hand.”

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While Grammar limits the use of screens for class work, many schools expect students to use iPads, laptops or Chromebooks from year 4 and 5, including for homework. The issue of screens in schools has long been debated, and it has come under the spotlight in recent years as governments crack down on smartphones in schools, and various inquiries have examined the effects of screen time on education. Previous studies have found Australian schools are among the world’s biggest users of technology.

Malpass said Grammar teachers could use digital or traditional whiteboards in lessons, while Lizzio said she was not “reluctant about technology. We just choose not to burden students with that during school hours”.

“Our periods are short [about 40 minutes] and not having to trouble shoot technical difficulties allows me to maximise the teaching time,” she says.

Approaches vary across all sectors and schools on how digital devices are used in classrooms. Many public and private schools have a BYOD policy, in which parents are asked to supply Apple laptops or iPads from primary school.

A NSW Education Department spokesman said public schools could “identify and decide when technology should be used as part of their teaching”.

Some schools, such as Rose Bay Public, ask parents to buy the latest generation iPad, headphones and protective case under an “opt in” device program. Others, including Coogee Bay Public, have no BYOD policy and instead have a bank of laptops for students.

Matt Bower, an expert in education technology at Macquarie University, said technology should be “incrementally introduced” in classrooms and its use monitored closely.

“Technology can be very helpful for research and for learning to critique and evaluate sources of information online. Students need oversight though, and must be carefully monitored and supported using devices in class,” he said.