News

Monday 8th September 2025

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Welcome to our first newsletter for the Autumn Term 2025. Welcome to those of you who are joining the Lampton community this term either in year 7 or year 12.

We enjoyed an excellent summer of success with superb public examination results at post-16 and GCSE. Post-16 we achieved our best results ever with 32% of grades being at A*/A grade. This places Lampton as one of the top schools in Hounslow and the country for ‘A’ Level achievement. We celebrated individual success stories too, of note being Simarjeet and Alex who achieved A* grades in all four of their subjects! This has led them to go on to Oxford to study engineering and Birmingham to study medicine respectively. A huge congratulations to all of our students post-16 and my thanks to staff and families in supporting these exceptional outcomes.

GCSE results were strong too; a pattern of our school in recent years. Again, both individual and collective success stories abound. Lampton’s overall results for attainment place us in the top 20% of schools nationally. For the all-important benchmark of gaining a grade 5 or above in both English and mathematics, we are in the top 25% of schools across the country. This is a result of hard work across a number of years, not just in  year 11.Each and every day in school counts towards success at the end of year 11 and year 13. My congratulations to all students on their success.

Updated mobile phone policy

Our updated policy, which we informed members of our community about throughout last term, came into force last week. The protocol is very easy to follow: ‘hear it, see it, lose it’. The devices of pupils in years 8 to 13 will be confiscated for 5 working days with community service issued on the day of confiscation. For year 7, smartphones are not permitted; only a Nokia ‘brick’ phone is allowed. Again, if these are seen or heard they will be confiscated for 5 working days. For this group, any smartphone bought onto the site will be confiscated until the end of the half-term. Further detailed guidance on this has been issued.

Tutor period this week focusses on the negative impact of mobile phones and social media on young people. Please support your child by upholding the school’s expectations on devices. The research evidence is clear. Being free from the distraction of devices improves educational outcomes and mental health. Thank you for your support with this matter.

Attendance and punctuality

At the start of term all students begin with 100% attendance and the challenge is to maintain this for as long as possible! The school’s target for all students is to maintain 96% or above by the end of the year. Medical and dental appointments should be made outside of school time and we will not sanction term time leave. All students must be on-site by 8.30am, ready for registration at 8.40am. Those students who were the most successful in the summer exams were those who were in school every day and on time, ready to learn.

Advanced dates

Wednesday 24th September	Open Evening: school closes at 12.30pm for students in all year groups
Thursday 25th September	INSET Day

With best wishes for the week and term ahead.

Stephen Davis

Headteacher

 

Changes to our mobile phone policy

We have made changes to the our mobile phone policy. Many families, who have expressed concerns about their child’s mobile phone use at school and at home, welcome these changes.

Why have we changed the policy?

There is increasing evidence that smartphone use has negative effects on the wellbeing and mental health of young people. It also poses a number of significant safeguarding risks. Smartphone use has been linked to impaired attention and focus, sleep deprivation, mental health issues, online bullying, exposure to harmful online content and people, increased risk of mugging, and increased loneliness and social isolation. 

We have made the decision to ban smartphones for year 7 and increase the consequences of a smartphone being seen or heard for years 8 to 11. We want young people to be protected from the potential threat and exploitation that smartphones can expose them to. We want them to prioritise in-person interactions and to benefit from the stronger social skills, empathy and sense of community. We want our students to develop good character traits and understand the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace.

What are the new rules from September 2025? 

Simply put our rule for phones is “see it, hear it, lose it.” For students in year 7 no smartphones or smart watches are allowed. If a smartphone has been confiscated then it will be kept until the end of the half term. Parents will be notified and the student will need to complete a community service on the day the phone is confiscated. Parents will need to collect the phone at the end of the half term. 

Students are permitted to bring a non-internet ‘brick’ phone. This must be in their bags before entering the school gate and must not be seen or heard whilst on school site, including before and after school. If it rings whilst it is on the school site or it is seen in a student’s pockets it will be confiscated for five working days. Parents will receive a notification and students can collect the phone at the end of the five working days.

The purchasing of smartphones for students under 14 is discouraged. All phones of students in years 8 to 11 must be in school bags before entering the school gate and must not be seen or heard whilst on school site, including before and after school. If a smartphone is confiscated from a student it will be placed in the school safe and returned 5 working days later. The student will have to complete a community service on the day the phone is confiscated

What if a student refuses to hand over their phone? 

Any member of staff who sees or hears a mobile phone will be expected to confiscate it. If a student does not hand the phone over immediately, this will be viewed as defiance. There is a clear escalation process, which will lead to time in the reflection room or in more serious cases suspension, depending on the severity of the defiance. If the level of defiance warrants time in the reflection room or suspension, a meeting will take place with the family. The student will not be allowed to bring a phone on site and will be subject to random bag searches.

How can I support the school whilst still keeping my child safe? 

We know that some parents use their child’s smartphone as a way to monitor their child's location. If you feel your child needs a device for safety reasons, consider instead a phone without internet connectivity (a ‘brick’ phone), an AirTag or a fully locked down phone with no internet or communication apps installed.

What about at home? 

At school young people are more easily protected from some of the issues outlined above. However, these risks remain outside of school. We encourage parents to delay allowing their child to have a smartphone until they are aged 14 or older, and to delay access to social media until they are aged 16. We also encourage parents to monitor their children’s phones, set time limits and ensure they are completing other activities. They do not need their phone to complete their independent learning/homework.

How can I learn more about the dangers of smartphone access?

Please use this link to find out more about the dangers of smartphone access.