UK’s Winchester College ditches classroom screens for pen and paper: Why less tech might mean better focus
Per The Times, since September 2025, Winchester’s been cutting back on digital devices during lessons and homework. 5 Oct 2026 | 12:06 What’s the thinking behind this shift? Founded in 1382 and famous for academic rigor, Winchester isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo.
Because of a learning difficulty, they still get the support, and if a student needs technology.
Principal Elizabeth Stone says just banning phones isn’t enough. Winchester’s way of going back to basics lands at a time when a lot of parents, teachers, and even big policymakers are starting to question whether “more technology” really means better learning. Stone, the headteacher, says laptops and tablets are just too tempting.
With so much noise about the wonders of laptops, tablets, and AI in education, imagine an educational institution going tech-free and back to the basics: pen and paper! Winchester College, a centuries-old boarding school in England, just pulled off that bold move: they’re going old-school. Literally. Out with constant screens, in with textbooks and ink stains. Teachers only bring out computers when there’s a real, meaningful advantage. For younger kids, the routine looks a lot like it did in decades past. Worksheets on paper, handwritten essays, and actual textbooks are the norm again. There’s a growing sense that constant tech, like smartphones, laptops, and everything in between, is scrambling students’ attention spans. If you hand a teen a school laptop with unlimited freedom, they’ll find ways to distract themselves all the same. Winchester’s answer: control all devices in the classroom, not just the obvious culprits. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t some anti-tech crusade. Winchester still uses computers where they work best. AI tools, complex 3D modeling, climate simulations, and digital learning portals have their place. What they’re really after is a balance: less clutter, more focus. With attention spans under fire, kids overwhelmed by online distractions, and homework tumbling into endless notifications, Winchester is asking: maybe, just maybe, less can be more. Even with the best of intentions, students find themselves flicking from emails to messages to tab after tab; it’s simply how those devices are wired. But it’s not just about distraction. Tech brings its own headaches: random software updates, logins gone wrong, files that open in the wrong version. Pen and paper don’t crash, need charging, or require IT support. So now, at Winchester, teachers decide if tech enhances the lesson. No clear payoff? They reach for paper instead. The new approach doesn’t stop at the classroom door. The school tightened up all device rules to make sure students aren’t just swapping one distraction for another. Younger students get the strictest limits. First years use laptops just during lessons and for a brief window after breakfast to check school emails; homework is almost all on paper. Phones? They’re checked in at night and off limits during the day. Everyone, even sixth formers, hands them in overnight. No stashing extras or sneaking in a second tablet, either.
The OECD’s big 2015 study found something surprising: kids who used tech in moderation did a little better at school. Their test scores even climbed a bit, with 95% of GCSE results getting top marks in 2026, up from 93% a year earlier. This debate isn’t new. Too little, and they missed out, but too much screen time led to lower grades, even after controlling for home background. So, simply adding more technology doesn’t always deliver better results. Other research on reading and note-taking points in the same direction. For some students, reading on paper feels less distracting. Handwriting notes may boost understanding, since it forces them to think and process instead of just typing every word. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. Some kids thrive with tablets; for others, the glow of a screen is too much. Winchester’s choice is to weigh up when technology helps versus when it just gets in the way. So far, Winchester’s seen better focus, more lively class discussions, and kids finishing homework faster.
Will other schools follow Winchester’s lead?
Because you can; rather, use it because it genuinely helps learning, but what Winchester offers is an idea that’s hard to dismiss: don’t use technology. For boarders living on campus, these consistent rules help level the playing field. No one has social media at their fingertips while friends sit next to them unplugged. Not at all. Winchester draws a line between good screen use and bad. If a digital tool makes learning clearer, like letting math students build interactive models or using climate simulations for geography, teachers go for it. They use screens for showing art, playing with historical maps, running science flashcards, or recording lessons for review. Kids with dyslexia or dysgraphia still get all the digital help they need. The basic principle behind this: screens are a means, not the default. But nobody’s pretending the screen rules explain everything. Test scores ride on many factors: gifted classes one year, harder exams another, different coaches, or revision techniques. For now, Winchester is working with Oxford University to dig deeper. Their new research will explore how less technology (or better-chosen technology) shifts students’ motivation, confidence, and attention. Winchester isn’t alone in rethinking classroom tech, especially after the pandemic made every house a mini school and every child a reluctant Zoom regular. Now, with kids more glued to screens than ever, lots of parents and teachers are wondering if they’ve gone too far. That doesn’t mean every school should grab a sledgehammer for its tablets. Some schools rely on tech for specific lessons or special needs. For some, laptops mean inclusion, collaboration, or creative opportunities they couldn’t have otherwise. The basics, like focus, reading, independent thinking, matter just as much for a digital future as coding or touch-typing, maybe more. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.