Primary school introduces 'conversation lessons' after pupils find it hard to talk to each other as smartphones damage social skills

By ANDY DOLAN, GENERAL REPORTER Published: 12:02, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 12:02, 29 May 2026 A junior school has been forced to introduce 'conversation lessons' for children because of the damaging impact of smartphones on their social skills. Teachers at Shelton Junior School in Derby brought in 'circle coaching' groups for pupils after noticing they were finding it harder and harder to talk to each other thanks to plummeting attention spans. In the sessions, youngsters practice chatting, how to maintain eye contact, and respectful disagreement. The school is one of a group in the East Midlands city that has joined together to call on parents to wait until children finish secondary education before being given a smartphone, following the discovery they were being handed to pupils as young as eight. The alliance has created a letter and guidance package which will be sent to families as students prepare to transition into Year Seven this September, reassuring parents that their child does not need to bring a smartphone to school. Shelton juniors headteacher Jon Bacon revealed that his staff were increasingly having to teach children basic interaction skills that were previously learned naturally outside school. He said: 'Attention span is lower, concentration is lower, children are finding it harder to communicate with each other effectively, especially around conflict. 'We're actively teaching that now, because what we're seeing is that the children can't do that because they're not socialising in the same way they used to.' Headteachers Jon Bacon and Gemma Penny lead schools within a group in Derby calling on parents to wait until children finish secondary education before being given a smartphone Pressure is growing nationally for tighter controls on youngsters' smartphone and social media use Mr Bacon added he and other headteachers in the group felt smartphone usage among pupils was 'affecting the operation of our schools and the health and well-being of the children we look after'. He told Derbyshire Live: 'We want to do all we can to support that, and I think this unified message is definitely going to do that.' The schools' initiative comes on the back of a major study by campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC), revealed by the Mail this week, also found parents believe childhood is now worse as a result of social media. Pressure is growing nationally for tighter controls on youngsters' smartphone and social media use. A three-month public consultation on children's use of digital technology and potential limits on social media and other services such as gaming sites and AI chatbots closed on Tuesday. At a meeting the same day with bereaved parents who lost their children after viewing harmful online content, Sir Keir Starmer signalled that he could go further than an Australian-style ban on under-16s access to social media. The Prime Minister said he wanted a 'game-changer' policy to protect children from the harms of social media and aimed to unveil the plans 'within weeks', once the 70,000 responses to the consultation on a ban had been analysed. The group of Derby schools decided to focus on the transition period between primary and secondary school, as many parents feel it is a 'rite of passage' to buy their child a phone at this stage – though they acknowledge that parents of younger children are also increasingly coming under pressure to buy their offspring a phone. Paul Appleton, head of Cherry Tree Hill Primary School said pupils as young as eight were 'starting to think about having their own mobile phones'  Gemma Penny, headteacher of Allestree Woodlands secondary school, said the idea came at the end of last year when senior leaders realised they were facing many of the same issues around smartphone use, online safety and social media exposure. Ms Penny said: 'Schools in Derby city will be phone-free and therefore (we say) don't buy your child an expensive smartphone because they're not going to be allowed to use it in school anyway.' The guidance will reassure families that smartphones are not necessary for youngsters to succeed at school and address anxieties about safety, which parents frequently cite as one of the main reasons to give their child a phone. Cherry Tree Hill Primary School is also part of the collective. Its headteacher, Paul Appleton, said schools had felt increasingly compelled to address the issue head-on as smartphone use began affecting children's communication. He said his school now talks about smartphones and their use as part of its induction process for new parents. Mr Appleton said pupils were 'starting to think about having their own mobile phones' from Year Four. 'It got to the point where we've seen some parents pick their children up staring at a phone, they never even speak to each other, no eye contact or anything.' The SFC report survey revealed that 84 per cent of parents believe childhood now is worse than their own. It found online platforms are the biggest threat to children's wellbeing, while raising children is now harder and more conflict-ridden. A staggering 94 per cent identified social media as the biggest threat to children's wellbeing. Parents spoke of feeling pressured to allow online access earlier than they wanted to, and of trying to remain resolute when their children say 'everyone else already has one'. A separate report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said online platforms and smartphone use 'ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical profession'. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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