From the Principal
It’s International Women’s Day (IWD) on Saturday and, while here at Pymble we uphold the mission and values of this annual awareness day 365 days of the year, our students always welcome the opportunity to add their voices to advocate for lasting change when it comes to the rights, equality and empowerment of their ‘sisters’ around the world.
Among the IWD activities this week was this fabulous discussion starter in our Junior School about equal pay for girls and boys, and the ‘Who inspires me?’ chain of hearts in the Upper School, where so many of our beautiful mums are celebrated by their grateful daughters. In next week’s column, I plan to showcase one of the many ways our generous community is working together to create an equal and just future for girls and young women; one where no one is left behind.
This week, however, is dedicated to celebrating the positive changes our community is making for the futures of OUR young women, through the introduction of the Pymble Wise Phone Initiative.
The Pymble Wise Phone Initiative was launched at the end of 2024 to provide all students in Years 4 to 8 in 2025 with a College-managed phone that features age-appropriate apps and features, without access to social media and an internet browser. It preceded the change in government legislation to restrict social media platforms to Australian children under the age of 16, and reflected many years of research regarding the impact of technology on young people, as well as conversations with our girls about the negative impact social media has on young people’s learning and wellbeing.
There are many wonderful benefits of technology, and certainly not all social media is bad. The point is, like all things, we need training if we are to benefit from the good and limit the bad. Just as learning to swim is conducted in a controlled and staged manner, we should take a similar approach to young people’s engagement with technology and social media.
The response was fantastic, with 70 per cent of students in Years 4 and 5 opting in (and others choosing no phone at all), 98 per cent take-up in Years 6 and 7, and 40 per cent of Year 8 students choosing a Pymble Wise Phone over a smartphone.
THANK YOU to our girls and parents who have supported this world-leading initiative; I am deeply grateful for your trust and your commitment.
Wise Phones… early results are in, and they are incredible!
Being a research-driven, evidence-based school, the next step was to gather data to ascertain what’s working well and what could be improved. A huge thank you to the 1,055 students and 279 parents and carers who responded to our online survey last month.
In summary, the results revealed parents are feeling well-supported by the College to help them manage the thorny issue of phone use and access to social media for their daughters. Similarly, many students reported that their College-managed phone was helping them to self-regulate time spent on their devices and discover (or rediscover) the joys of non-screen time. Trust was also a big theme to emerge: it was heartening to read that so many students don’t want to break their parents’ trust and that so many parents have well-founded trust in their daughters.
Specific findings included:
- More sleep: Students in Years 4 to 7 with a Wise Phone are more likely (41%) to meet the recommended 9 to 11 sleep hours per night, compared to students with a smartphone (23%).
- Less time spent ‘looking down’: 78% of Wise Phone users spend less than one hour per school day on their Wise Phone, compared to 55% of students with a smartphone.
- Better time management: 92% of students in Years 4 to 7 with a Wise Phone report they can generally get work done and manage time effectively, compared to 85% of students with a smartphone.
- More exercise: 21% of Wise Phone users report exercising for at least 60 minutes, 7 times a week, compared to 21% of smartphone users who report exercising for at least 60 minutes, 3 times a week.
- Wide use amongst students in Years 4 to 7 although this decreases in Year 8.
- Year 7 parents and carers in particular are highly engaged and supportive – thank you, this is critical to the success of the program!
- Positive behaviour changes are taking place: The table below shows students are spending more time on leisure activities and with family and friends, and less time on screens and devices.
We were grateful to receive comments regarding key areas that could be improved from both a parent and student point of view. “Even better ifs” revolved around:
- Technical issues with the actual device – if this is affecting you, please, always contact The Hub for assistance.
- Concern about a small amount of students with dual phones.
- A desire to include more apps, and to understand the process of approval for suitable apps for the age-related Wise Phone stages.
This feedback will assist us to improve the program where it could be stronger and shed light where it’s needed. In relation to app approval, for instance, we can share more information about the screening processes, which include:
Avoiding gamification and attention traps
Many apps use features like streaks, notifications or “likes” to keep people hooked. Our aim is to help students stay in control of their attention, instead of letting big tech designs disrupt them. An app that appears to be designed just to keep young people glued to their screens is a big red flag to us.
Choosing connection over performance
Performance apps that push users to showcase a perfect version of themselves, where they post, perform and wait for validation, often lead to comparisons and anxiety. For this reason, we are more likely to choose apps that promote authentic connection with friends rather than performance.
Choosing ‘posse’ over ‘public’ connection
This criterion is critical for your daughter’s safety. If an app does encourage connection, who does it connect her with? A closed circle or ‘posse’ app, where you connect mostly with known friends and peers, is generally safer than a ‘public’ stage that is open to everyone, including strangers who can jump in with random comments.
Next steps…
This data reflects the first phase of our research, with subsequent surveys being rolled out in June and again in October this year. In addition, I will continue my focus groups with students in their Compass classes. Year 7 have been incredibly thoughtful and open in their discussions with me and I look forward to hearing from our Year 6 students next.
We will also be initiating parent focus groups to explore which parts of the implementation of Wise Phones worked well and what could have been better, along with suggestions for the future, so watch this space.
We are so blessed to have parents and carers who are genuinely enthusiastic partners with us in their daughters’ learning, development and growth; thank you for this invaluable gift of your time and insights. Schools around the world are watching to see how Wise Phones are working at Pymble – who knows, maybe we can start a worldwide movement to support healthier children globally. We are proud to be working in partnership with our families to take an active rather than passive approach to reclaiming a childhood filled with play for our young people – it’s a mission worth fighting for!
Meet our superstar staff member of the week
Recently we had to order a very special ‘years of service’ badge for a long-standing member of our Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) team. Mrs Sue Kelso has worked at Pymble’s OSHC for 35 continuous years, always showing great Care, Respect and Responsibility for the students and families who use this important service, as well as the staff who run it.
She was actually the founding manager of our OSHC back in 1990 and today, at 81 years of age, she still runs one ‘Kelso Craft’ session each week to teach the girls how to knit, sew and be creative. Many of the young adult educators who work there today were once young OSHC girls under her care, and all who enter Pymble’s ‘department of fun and play’ are deeply grateful for Mrs Kelso’s presence on the team. Congratulations on 35 years of service, Mrs Kelso, and thank you for all you do to care for our OSHC family.
P.S. Good luck to our Rowers and Roboticists
This Saturday is Head of the River at the Sydney International Regatta Centre at Penrith – a hugely important competition for our rowers and their supporters. The event runs from 8.30am to 3.00pm and supporters from across the College are warmly welcome to join the spirited fun.
Nearby, we have another 40 students competing in the Southern Cross Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, which is a three-day event held at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre from Saturday 7 to Monday 9 March. For the first time, we have two teams competing – Team 6497 and Team 6510 – to qualify for the World Championships in Houston TX.
We wish all our girls the very best as they head into their big events! Pymble, you are ready!
