The Education Magazine
October 12, 2026
Winchester College in England is limiting laptop use in lessons and homework, encouraging students to use pen and paper unless digital tools offer a clear educational benefit. The school introduced restrictions in 2025 over concerns about distraction. Head Elizabeth Stone says computers remain useful for specific tasks but should not be the default learning tool.
As Winchester College drops laptops for routine classroom work, the school is encouraging students to rely more on pen and paper. This approach of Winchester College laptop policy aims to reduce digital distractions while allowing computers when they provide a clear learning benefit.
Why Winchester College Is Limiting Laptop Use in Classrooms
The Winchester College technology policy aims to ensure that digital devices support learning rather than distract students from it. The handwritten homework approach of Winchester College encourages students to complete written assignments on paper rather than relying on laptops for every task.
Explaining the school’s position, Stone said,
“There’s no simple answer as to whether technology improves learning.”
The school believes teachers should consider whether a digital device benefits a particular lesson before requiring students to use one. Stone also stressed the need for a clear educational purpose, saying.
“There has to be a solid reason to use the digital device.”
However, Winchester College is not abandoning technology. Students can use computers for three-dimensional mathematical modelling, climate simulations, maps, historical resources, language flashcards, and video lessons.
The pen and paper policy of Winchester College encourages students to do more schoolwork by hand, not on laptops. These activities show how digital tools can support learning when they offer benefits that paper cannot provide.
What the Winchester College Laptop Ban Policy Changes?
The Winchester College laptop ban is not a complete ban on computers. Instead, the school limits routine laptop use and encourages handwritten work where digital tools are not necessary. Students can still use computers for specific learning activities that benefit from technology.
The Winchester school’s rules include:
- First-year students can use laptops during lessons and briefly after breakfast for email. Other homework is completed on paper.
- Students in the first two years have limited phone access during a designated evening period.
- Mobile phones are prohibited during the school day, including extracurricular activities.
- All students, including Sixth Form students, hand in their phones overnight.
- Additional personal devices, including tablets and smartwatches, are restricted.
The Winchester College screen restrictions limit students’ routine use of digital devices during lessons and other parts of the school day. The college’s laptop-use policy rules encourage handwritten work while allowing technology when it supports specific learning activities.
Students in Years 9 and 10 must also complete homework using pen and paper. The school says this approach helps develop study habits while reducing unnecessary dependence on screens.
Has Handwritten Homework Improved Student Concentration and Exam Results?
Winchester College reports that handwritten homework has improved concentration and study habits among younger students. The school believes fewer online interruptions help students focus and complete work during designated study periods.
Stone also explained how consistent restrictions can reduce pressure to stay connected to devices. Discussing the benefits of applying the same rules across the school, she said,
“That is made possible because they are all under the same rules – so no FOMO.”
FOMO means “fear of missing out.” In this context, it refers to the pressure students may feel to check their devices when their peers have access to them.
The Winchester College has also reported improved examination results since changing its approach to technology. Reported figures show that 95% of grades fell between 7 and 9, compared with 93% the previous year.
However, GCSE figures do not establish that the device policy caused the increase. Examination performance can depend on several factors, and further research would be needed to measure the policy’s contribution.
Handwritten work is not necessarily better for every task. Digital tools remain valuable for research, specialist software, and students who need assistive technology. Winchester’s approach focuses on using screens selectively rather than banning computers.
How Winchester College Is Researching Technology’s Impact on Learning
Winchester College is working with Oxford University on research examining how technology use relates to students’ academic confidence, motivation, and engagement.
The Elizabeth Stone laptop policy approach focuses on using technology when it offers a clear educational benefit rather than making laptops the default tool for every task. Stone has emphasized the need to consider how digital devices affect students’ learning and classroom experience.
The Winchester College announced the research in 2025, but its announcement does not confirm that final findings have been published.
The planned Winchester College and Oxford University research could help the school assess its approach and inform wider discussions about technology in learning. It also raises a practical question for schools: does more classroom technology always improve learning, or does its value depend on how teachers use it?
What Winchester College laptop policy Means for Other Schools
The Winchester College laptop policy offers an example of setting boundaries around technology instead of treating laptops as essential for every classroom task. It combines handwritten homework, restricted phone access, and continued computer use when digital tools provide a clear educational benefit.
Other schools must consider students’ ages, subjects, learning needs, and access to devices before adopting similar rules. The planned Oxford University education research may provide further insight into how technology affects learning.
Winchester’s reported improvements are worth examining, but they do not prove that reducing laptop use will raise results elsewhere. The school’s approach highlights the need to balance digital learning with traditional study methods. Further evidence from its research partnership may clarify how device restrictions affect concentration, engagement and academic progress.
Madhura Lahade
