A west London school has banned smartphones for younger pupils and will only allow basic “brick” phones from the start of term this week. The Fulham Boys School’s head teacher David Smith said giving smartphones to young children was akin to “choosing to take away their childhood”.

A leading Church of England school has become the first in Britain to ban smartphones but permit “brick” devices, in an effort to protect pupils from social media.

A London school is one of the first state schools in Britain to roll out a smartphone ban and only allow pupils aged between 11 and 16 a 'brick' phone from this month. David Smith, headmaster of The Fulham Boys School,