A COLCHESTER school is excited to take part in a new TV show where pupils will give up their smartphones completely for a total of 21 days.

The Stanway School, in Winstree Road, has confirmed that group of its Year 8 students will take part in Channel 4 documentary series, Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones.

TV personalities Emma and Matt Willis will front the new show as researchers at the University of York will monitor changes in behaviour among the pupils.

Over the course of three weeks, the TV programme will look at the effects of giving up your phone can have on your brain, including sleep and attention, by testing things like reaction times and memory.

TV stars - Emma and Matt WillisTV stars - Emma and Matt Willis (Image: BOLDPRINT Studios/Channel 4/PA Wire)John Player, Head of School at The Stanway School, said: “We were lucky to be selected as the host school of the experiment, which will involve students, and staff, giving up their phones for 21 days.

“It became clear to us that this depth of research had not been done before, and we saw this as an opportunity to be involved in investigative journalism that uses a genuine experiment to discover the effects of phone use on the education, well-being and sleep of young people.

“The Stanway School community is keen to find out the results of this investigation, when the experiment concludes.”