The Aporia · Revealed: The public school where the pen is mightier than the laptop...

Revealed: The public school where the pen is mightier than the laptop...

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Hardy, J. (2026, October 12). Revealed: The public school where the pen is mightier than the laptop... Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16201163/The-public-school-pen-mightier-laptop.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Quick Summary

Winchester College, a prestigious 644-year-old boarding school in Hampshire, has banned laptops for nearly all classwork and homework due to concerns that they distract students. The headmistress, Elizabeth Stone, stated that allowing phones while restricting laptops is ineffective since students can easily shift distracting activities to other devices. She argues that the ban on technology has improved student concentration and engagement, noting a decline in multitasking behaviors such as instant messaging and watching videos during class time. This policy contrasts with recent education initiatives promoting increased use of screens in classrooms.

Written by AI on 2026-10-12, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Winchester College, a prestigious 644-year-old boarding school in Hampshire, has banned laptops from most classroom activities due to concerns they are hindering learning. The school's head, Elizabeth Stone, notes that simply addressing mobile phones without restricting laptops is ineffective since students can easily shift distracting activities to these devices. Ms. Stone, who became the school’s first female head in 2023, argues that internet use spikes immediately at the start of lessons, indicating pupils are checking emails rather than focusing on class material. She criticizes the idea of students multitasking and suggests laptops encourage fragmented attention instead of sustained focus. For younger pupils (Years 9 and 10), all homework must now be done with pen and paper. Older students will only use laptops where there is clear evidence it benefits their learning substantially.

Written for “School Tech Policies” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

withheld

no quote in the article backed the model's score

Publisher signals

68/100

Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Education

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Jack Hardy

13 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Older pupils will be able to use their laptops only where there is evidence it will be 'substantially' beneficial to the lesson.

2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Revealed: The public school where the pen is mightier than the laptop...

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Also by Jack Hardy

Prison officer sent inmate lover explicit pictures over Snapchat after smuggling in mobile phone following their secret romance

2026-10-09 · Daily Mail

Moment Afghan rapists laugh and joke while fleeing Britain in lorry after leaving girl, 17, 'broken beyond resistance' - as they are jailed for total of 36 years

2026-10-07 · Daily Mail

Four Afghans who fled UK in back of a lorry after gang-raping teenage girl they groomed with vodka and cigarettes jailed

2026-10-06 · Daily Mail

Royal Navy officer abandoned night watch on £143 million frigate leaving 'scared' trainee in charge

2026-10-02 · Daily Mail

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 13 articles by Jack Hardy →

Claims (18 extracted, 0 hedged)

One of the country's top private schools is fighting back against screens in the classroom – by insisting pupils use pen and paper. asserted

pupils → fight → pen

Winchester College, the 644-year-old Hampshire boarding school, has stopped children using laptops for nearly all classwork and homework amid concern the devices are hampering learning. asserted

devices → stop → learning

The school's head, Elizabeth Stone, said: 'There's no point just tackling the phones if we're going to say, "Here's a laptop that you have to have with you all the time"... because the vast majority of the activity that they're doing on the phone can then just shift as easily on to a tablet or a laptop.' asserted

they → say → tablet

She added that laptops have become 'more distracting' for the school's pupils, who are aged 13 to 18, with teachers noticing a 'big spike' in internet use during the first ten minutes of the first lesson – indicating that pupils were immediately checking their emails. asserted

pupils → add → emails

Ms Stone, who became Winchester College's first female head in 2023, criticised the suggestion that students were simply 'multitasking', arguing that the laptops enabled 'fragmented attention switching'. asserted

laptops → become → switching

All homework for the youngest pupils – Years 9 and 10 – must now be completed with pen and paper. asserted

homework → complete → pen

Older pupils will be able to use their laptops only where there is evidence it will be 'substantially' beneficial to the lesson. asserted

it → use → lesson

Winchester College has reverted to making its students use pen and paper for classwork and homework Headteacher Elizabeth Stone said there was 'no point' tackling phones while permitting unchecked laptop use ' asserted

Stone → revert → use

We made it clear to teachers we do not want the laptop to be the default way of working. asserted

laptop → make → teachers

If it can be done in another way without the technology, you should,' Ms Stone told The Sunday Times. asserted

Stone → do → Times

The school's crackdown puts it at odds with recent education policy, which encourages screens in classrooms to try to make pupils more technologically advanced. asserted

pupils → put → classrooms

But parents and teachers are concerned that many children are becoming addicted to their screens, to the detriment of their learning and development. asserted

children → concern → learning

Ms Stone has said the rolling back of technology has already resulted in better concentration and engagement in lessons. asserted

rolling → say → lessons

'They weren't simultaneously chatting to each other and sending instant messages. asserted

They → chat → messages

They didn't have access to YouTube. asserted

They → have → YouTube

They weren't watching football reels,' she said. asserted

she → watch → reels

In April, Labour's then education secretary Bridget Phillipson announced a £23million scheme to expand the use of AI in classrooms. asserted

Phillipson → announce → classrooms

Campaigners have warned the Government is 'prioritising cost savings over proven education'. asserted

Government → warn → education

Revealed: The public school where the pen is mightier than the laptop...

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Claims (18 extracted, 0 hedged)