Murdered teenager Brianna Ghey’s head teacher said students “like the break” from mobile phones after she banned them from her school.

The 16-year-old was stabbed 28 times by teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson – who also attended Birchwood Community High School – and Eddie Ratcliffe in a park near Warrington, Cheshire in February 2023.

Since September, in a move designed to reduce bullying and students’ stress levels, the school has required pupils to lock away their devices in pouches during the day.

Headteacher Emma Mills told The Mirror that the policy was “allowing kids to be kids again”, adding: “Students say they like the break.”

She said there was now “more chatter in the corridors at breaks and lunch, students are more focused in lessons, and the number attending house competitions and enrichment activities has risen”.

Ms Mills, who has worked in education for 23 years, added: “They said it has reduced their stress levels, knowing they don’t have to think about what is happening.

“It has made them realise they can live without it.

“Seeing how our behaviour and safeguarding issues around phones and the online world have nearly disappeared feels like a big moment.”

Brianna’s mother Esther Ghey, who supports a social media ban for under-16s, said: “Brianna often struggled with distraction in school due to her smartphone and social media use, and I truly believe this initiative would have made a meaningful difference for her.”

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe, both 15 at the time, lured Brianna to Culcheth Linear Park where she was fatally attacked with a hunting knife.

Jenkinson was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court in December 2023 to a minimum of 22 years’ detention, while Ratcliffe was ordered to serve at least 20 years.

The court heard that Jenkinson became “obsessed” with Brianna after joining Birchwood High in October 2022.

The teenagers were discussing Brianna’s murder for weeks, detailed in Jenkinson’s handwritten murder plan and phone messages found by detectives.

Jenkinson, while aged 14, was fixated with videos on the dark web of killing and torture.

Ms Ghey said: “After speaking with many teachers, it’s clear that smartphones are having a deeply harmful impact in schools.

“Educators are constantly battling the effects of what students are exposed to online – whether it’s misogynistic content, self-harm, suicidal ideation or bullying through WhatsApp and other platforms.”

A recent poll suggested nearly 60% of teachers believe social media usage has had a negative effect on behaviour in schools.

Ms Ghey said she was “deeply disappointed that the Labour government has yet to support them through a statutory ban”.

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said it was his “personal view” that the government should take a stronger stance on restricting mobile phone use in schools.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also called on ministers to introduce a statutory ban on their use.

The government said there is already guidance on how schools can restrict mobile phone usage, which head teachers can decide how to implement.

Earlier this month, a survey commissioned by England’s children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza suggested about 90% of the country’s secondary schools restrict mobile usage.

The survey did not, however, examine either how thoroughly schools’ policies were implemented or their success rate.

Dame Rachel said “the people with the real power here are the parents” because of the amount of time spent in front of screens by their children.

She added that “parents have to remember they are not the friends of their children” but are “there to protect their children [and] put boundaries around them”.