​​​​Junior School

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Mobile phones

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• We encourage our families to delay providing their daughter/s with a mobile phone.

• Parents can make this commitment together via Home | Wait Mate ​​

• Should a parent choose to provide their daughter with a phone, we recommend a wise phone, a retro phone, or a configured phone, rather than a smartphone. Please see here for further information. ​​

• JS students with phones will continue to sign their mobile phones in at JS reception each morning and collect them after school. While phones will be stored securely, parents are asked to ensure they are appropriately insured in case of loss or theft.​

• If a mobile phone is confiscated during the school day, parents will receive an email from JS reception. If managing your daughter's phone access is challenging at home, the school can support parents in keeping the phone for longer than a day. Parents can email JS reception to specify a release date.

• Where a student does have a mobile phone, parents are asked to ensure the device is appropriately insured in the event of loss or theft.

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Smartwatches are not permitted. Girls should not bring a smartwatch to school. If your daughter does so, the item will be confiscated and can be collected from reception at the end of the school day.

 

Senior School

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Age-appropriate practices have been considered across the Senior School, recognising the

wide developmental stages of the girls from Years 7-12.

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​Please be aware of our additional expectations for Year 7 students in 2026.

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Updates that apply to all girls in Years 7-12: ​

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• During before-school and after-school commitments, phones can remain in girls’ school bags (switched off). ​​

• The Bay Café will no longer accept payment transactions by phone. It is returning to cash, debit card and student card payment only. ​​

• No curriculum courses will require a student to have a mobile device in class. The girls’ laptops have a camera if needed. ​

• For trips and tours, the need for a mobile phone will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Decisions will take into account the nature of the experience, and guidelines will be communicated to girls and families ahead of each trip to ensure clarity and understanding. ​

• If a phone is confiscated during the school day, parents will receive an email from Student Wellbeing. Girls can collect their phones at the end of the school day. A repeated pattern of three phone confiscations will result in a lunchtime detention.  ​

• If parents would like support in managing their daughter's access to her mobile phone, the school can assist by keeping her phone at school. Parents can email the Student Wellbeing Centre reception to specify a release date. ​

• Where a student does have a mobile phone, parents are asked to ensure the device is appropriately insured in the event of loss or theft.

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Smartwatches are not permitted. Girls should not bring a smartwatch to school. If your daughter does so, the item will be confiscated and can be collected from reception at the end of the school day.

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Year 7 Mobile Phone Expectations

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• Year 7 girls are encouraged not to have a mobile phone.  ​ ​

• Should parents choose for their daughter to have a phone, parents will be asked to complete a form detailing their daughter’s phone type and number early Term 1. ​​

• ​​Year 7 girls will be required to hand in their mobile phones to the Student Wellbeing Centre before homeroom. Phones can be collected after school. This practice will be reviewed for Semester 2.

• If logistically able, the school will consider this practice in Year 8 for 2027. Girls will be reminded that Student Wellbeing opens at 8.00am and closes at 4.00pm. Phones not collected by 4.00pm will be kept overnight. ​

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Years 8-12 Mobile Phone Expectations ​

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• Girls are required to store their phones in their lockers throughout the school day.  ​​

• Year 11 and 12 study lessons will be phone-free.

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​​​​Boarding 

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​​​Boarding expectations are designed to minimise distraction, encourage face-to-face interaction, and protect girls’ privacy and safety while on campus. We believe that boarding should be a space where girls can engage deeply with their learning and peers, free from the pressures and interruptions of constant connectivity. ​

We also recognise that outside of school hours, boarding is the girls’ home. We have therefore put in place guidelines that would replicate good practice for managing phone use outside of school hours. ​

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Our boarding expectations have been closely considered in line with other independent boarding schools. ​

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To find out more about boarding expectations, click here. 

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Helpful Resources

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To assist with the selection and management of personal devices, please see the following articles:

 

1. Responsible Mobile Device Options

2. Set up & Manage your Daughter's iPhone to Reduce Distractions

3. What is a Smartwatch and Why They're Not Permitted at St Hilda's?

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