‘I was miserable at my old school’: UK social media ban puts spotlight on hybrid learning

Ambreen Baig (left), of Dukes Education, says ‘telling today’s young people to avoid screens is like telling previous generations to avoid books’. Photograph: Teri Pengilley/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Ambreen Baig (left), of Dukes Education, says ‘telling today’s young people to avoid screens is like telling previous generations to avoid books’. Photograph: Teri Pengilley/The Guardian ‘I was miserable at my old school’: UK social media ban puts spotlight on hybrid learning Pupils say LPS Hybrid’s combination of remote and in-person classes has transformed their school experience Two years ago, Ellie Ball could barely bring herself to attend school. Today, the 16-year-old is planning to take four A-levels and hopes to study astrolaw – “It’s basically space law,” she explains – at university. The transformation happened largely through a screen. Four days a week, Ellie attends remote, on-screen lessons from home administered by the only UK-wide hybrid school provider. Then once a week, the girl who in years 8 and 9 could barely force herself to take the seven-minute drive to her local state school travels alone on train and tube, alongside crowds of commuters, to attend lessons in person. “The journey takes an hour,” she said. “I don’t like it. But I do it happily because I absolutely love going to school now.” This week Ellie’s school, the London-based London Park School (LPS) Hybrid – part of the private Dukes Education family of schools – was named a World’s Best School prize finalist in the overcoming adversity category, a shortlist that also includes a Polish school helping Ukrainian refugees, an American school serving the children of poor, migrant workers, and a school in the Amazon that has become an educational hub for about 4,000 young people. Failure to plan for rising temperatures has left UK’s schools sweltering Read more LPS Hybrid, which will shortly open a sixth form has also been shortlisted for a Tes Schools award for pupil mental health initiative of the year. The national conversation about children’s relationship with technology is becoming increasingly fraught, with schools restricting smartphones and ministers in the UK legislating a social media access ban . For Ellie, the discussions feel as though they are happening in parallel to the reality of young people like her. “Screens aren’t bad; it’s the way they’re used that’s bad,” she said. “My mainstream school didn’t use screens and I was miserable there. “Hybrid school uses screens but without them, I would not currently be in education – much less loving school, planning four A-levels and university.” Ellie’s father echoed the concerns about the incoming ban, saying it would “potentially stop kids in the future from accessing all of the online GCSE provision that many kids like Ellie find invaluable”. He added: “If the act goes ahead as it’s proposed, this will be one of the massive potential downsides. Our younger daughter also uses social media to engage with