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The London school that has screen-free days for pupils, teachers – and parents

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 818 words · By Richard Adams
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What to know about The London school that has screen-free days for pupils, teachers – and parents

Schools banning pupils from having smartphones are commonplace.

Claims checked 6
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage
Left14%
Center86%
Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Schools banning pupils from having smartphones are commonplace.

Why it matters

But what about a school where pupils ban teachers from using their smartphones, and then get their parents to join in?

Common ground

And not just phones: at Holy Family Catholic primary school in west London teachers are also barred from using laptops, monitors or tablets during the school’s screen-free Mondays, after an idea that came from the pupils themselves.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jun/07/london-school-screen-free-mond…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 1
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Claim 1: “Sophie recently took part in a discussion with Liz Kendall, the technology secretary”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one specific news report (dated June 7, 2026) mentions that Sophie took part in a discussion with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2026 ... The idea for the screen break came from Sophie Janashia ... Sophie recently took part in a discussion with Liz Kendall, the technology secretary ...
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jun/07/london-sch…
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web search NEUTRAL — Technology in Ed. Leadership. Leadership I. Educational Statistics ... the large English speaking countries, notably the US and the UK, have many ...
https://brill.com/downloadpdf/display/title/37934.pdf?srslti…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 18, 2021 ... recently the UK's National Security Adviser and Cabinet Secretary, ... gave a witty and curious talk on how he had experienced synaesthesia as a ...
https://www.seh.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Teddy-Hall-Magaz…
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Claim 2: “The idea for the screen break came from Sophie Janashia, a year 6 pupil at the state school in Ealing”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly state that the idea for the screen break came from Sophie Janashia, a year 6 pupil at the school in Ealing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sophie Janashia, a Year 6 pupil at the school, proposed the concept after noticing how much time her peers spent on devices. She wanted a day where "no one was ...
https://grandgoldman.com/blogs/health/london-school-screen-f…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Holy Family Catholic primary school says enthusiastic response from parents has been biggest surprise.The idea for the screen break came from Sophie Janashia, a year 6 pupil at the state school in Eal…
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jun/07/london-sch…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Holy Family Catholic Primary School holds screen-free Mondays once a month. The school chose Mondays to set a positive tone for the week and encourage families to carry the habit forward. Do teachers …
https://grandgoldman.com/blogs/health/london-school-screen-f…
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Claim 3: “the screen-free days were such a success that they had become monthly events on the school’s calendar”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Holy Family Catholic Primary School holds these screen-free Mondays once a month.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in Christian art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Family
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Holy Family Catholic High School is a coeducational, college preparatory, Catholic high school opened in the year 2000 and serves grades 9-12. The school follows the Lasallian tradition, an education …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Family_Catholic_High_Scho…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Holy Family Catholic School may refer to: In Australia: Holy Family Catholic School (South Australia) In the United Kingdom: Holy Family Catholic School, Keighley Holy Family Catholic School, Waltha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Family_Catholic_School
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Kanishka Narayan, the minister for AI and online safety, has also visited the school to speak to Sophie and pupils”
CORROBORATED
One news report confirms Kanishka Narayan's visit to the school to speak with Sophie and pupils, and a separate GOV.UK source confirms Kanishka Narayan's role as Minister for AI and Online Safety.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Kanishka Narayan, the minister for AI and online safety, has also visited the school to speak to Sophie and pupils who act as online safety ambassadors for their peers. Sophie’s classmates say they su…
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jun/07/london-sch…
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web search NEUTRAL — The effects of background music on primary school pupils’ task performance.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0305569022012455…
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web search NEUTRAL — Kanishka Narayan, Minister for AI and Online Safety, spoke at Founders Forum on 10 February 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/minister-narayan-ai-s…
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Claim 5: “Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, who is considering plans to ban or restrict social media for under-16s”
CORROBORATED
Multiple news sources and Wikipedia confirm Liz Kendall is the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and that the UK government is planning to ban or restrict social media for under-16s.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is a ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. It was established on 7 February 2023 by a cabinet reshuffle under the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Science,_Innova…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elizabeth Louise Kendall (born 11 June 1971) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since 2025, having previously served as Secretary of St…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Kendall
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The original Science and Technology Committee was abolish…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_Innovation_and_Techno…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “at Holy Family Catholic primary school in west London teachers are also barred from using laptops, monitors or tablets during the school’s screen-free Mondays”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that laptops, monitors, and tablets are banned for both pupils and teachers at Holy Family Catholic Primary School on screen-free Mondays.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Catholic Church (Latin: Ecclesia Catholica), also called the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with an estimated 1.28 to 1.41 billion baptized members worldwide as of 2026. I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, also known as the Greek Orthodox Church is a Christian communion of autocephalous national and regional Eastern Christian churches…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Holy Cross dispute occurred in 2001 and 2002 in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, Northern Ireland. During the 30-year conflict known as the Troubles, Ardoyne had become segregated – Ulster Prote…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Cross_dispute
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.