PUPILS have been warned they face instant disqualification from exams if caught wearing “smart watches” in school.

Billericay School has a long-standing ban on mobile phones, but has been forced to update its policy to reflect advances in technology.

Other schools, including the Deanes School, in Thundersley, have a zero tolerance policy on pupils using mobiles, in the belief the policy improves the quality of education.

In a letter to parents, Billericay School headteacher Sue Hammond said: “We have updated our policy on the use of wifi-enabled devices to reflect the advances in smart phone technology.

“The school has a no-phones in school policy; this now extends to a policy of no smart watches or wearable wifi-enabled devices in school.

“This is to stop loss, theft or accidental damage, any inappropriate social media usage and cyber bullying while in school.

“It also gives students a much-needed break from this aspect of technology and its disturbing impact on their learning.”

Mrs Hammond warned any student found wearing a device during an exam would be immediately disqualified.

The recently-released Apple Watch, which runs in conjunction with an iPhone, allows users to access phone technology from their wrist.

The Deanes School, in Daws Heath Road, justified its policy by pointing to research which stated banning phones equalled an extra week of schooling for a pupil each year.

The London Schools of Economics found schools which banned phones had better GCSE results than those which do not.

Acting headteacher at Deanes, Desi McKeown, said: “We do not allow mobiles to be used during school hours. If a pupil is found with a mobile, we will confiscate it until the end of the day.

“I hope the findings of this research helps to justify why we have a ban on mobile phones.

“We aim to minimise any distraction on learning.”