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Camden New Journal - By DAN CARRIER
Published: 7 June 2007

Health fears spark wi-fi switch-off at top school

Town Hall insists its wireless internet systems will remain in place

ONE of the country’s most illustrious private schools has dismantled its wireless internet system following pressure from parents worried about the effects on children’s health.
The Trevor-Roberts School, in Eton Avenue, Hampstead, removed the wi-fi system last month.
But Camden Council has insisted it will not order the removal of wi-fi devices from five secondary schools.
Haverstock in Chalk Farm, Camden School for Girls in Camden Town, Hampstead School in West Hampstead, and Parliament Hill and La Sainte Union schools in Dartmouth Park are the schools involved.
Every primary and special needs school in Camden is also linked up to a wi-fi system.
Wi-fi allows computers to connect to the internet without plugging into a phone line. Instead, connections are made using radio waves.
The move to remove wi-fi devices from Trevor-Roberts School coincided with a warning from government adviser Sir William Stewart, chairman of the Health Protection Agency, who wants a review of the effects wi-fi may have on health.
Headteacher Simon Trevor-Roberts said he was happy to act on parents’ fears, although he added that he felt the decision was a precaution rather than based on firm scientific evidence.
He said: “No one can say wi-fi is 100 per cent safe so we will err on the side of caution. We are not Luddites but it is a simple decision.
“This is a discussion that will run in the science community for the next 10 years, but our parents were concerned about it so we acted on their worries.”
A council press official confirmed there were no plans to unplug the wi-fi systems from state schools.
He said: “We know wi-fi equipment puts out a very low level of radiation, which is less than that emitted by the average mobile phone.”
The council was following guidance from the Health Protection Agency, he added.

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