West London primary introduces screen-free Mondays for pupils, staff and parents

A west London primary school has become one of the first in the country to introduce mandatory screen-free days that extend beyond pupils to encompass teachers and parents alike. Holy Family Catholic primary school in Ealing has established "screen-free Mondays" where the entire school community—pupils, staff and families—agrees to set aside smartphones, laptops, tablets and monitors. Remarkably, the initiative originated not from senior leadership or governors, but from the pupils themselves, who proposed the idea as a means of reducing digital dependency and fostering greater face-to-face engagement. The response from parents has been particularly enthusiastic, with families embracing the opportunity to disconnect from devices at home alongside their children. While many schools have introduced restrictions on pupil smartphone use, Holy Family's comprehensive approach—requiring teachers to step away from laptops and monitors during the school day—demonstrates a holistic commitment to modelling healthy digital habits. The initiative raises important questions about how schools can balance technology integration with wellbeing, and how engaging families directly in school-led health promotion can strengthen the home-school partnership.