Headteacher of Prince George's potential next school issues warning to parents

The 11-year-old prince currently attends Lambrook School in Berkshire alongside his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

During her visit to the £31,000-a-year school just after Christmas, Kate spent considerable time with teachers, particularly focusing on the drama department.

An insider told the Mail on Sunday that she "spent quite a long time talking to two of the teachers there, including the Head of Drama, and was asking them about the drama curriculum and extracurricular activities and what opportunities there might be for appearing in school plays."

The school's "genuinely world-class" drama department reportedly feeds into RADA and maintains a strong focus on Shakespeare.

Now, the headteacher of this prestigious institution has issued a warning to parents about the importance of screen-free family time.

Adam Pettitt, who has led Highgate since 2006, urged families to ensure children have more time away from mobile phones.

"Age-based limits on mobile phone use are a welcome first step, but how adults spend time with children is paramount," Pettitt told the Times. "We must not only limit screen time but actively promote what should replace it."

His comments come as Highgate maintains its own mobile phone ban, which Pettitt says has "reintroduced conversation to form rooms."

The school, which charges £32,640 annually including lunch fees, has attracted celebrity parents including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Dame Emma Thompson.

Pettitt emphasised that "children need to play, to have protected screen-free time, and to enjoy fun, shared experiences with the adults who care for them."

He praised Southwark headteachers who recently formed an alliance demanding stricter smartphone restrictions, noting they were "right to tread carefully when advising on families" and "also correct that it requires a partnership with parents to address the effects of screens on children."

In his own household, the headteacher revealed that crosswords and cooking serve as shared activities.

"If we have wired into our routines time to be together for some part of every day, time to chat every day, we'll see more quickly when they withdraw, we'll notice if something is awry," he explained in a previous letter to parents.

The 460-year-old co-educational day school, which educates pupils from age four to 18, has produced notable alumni, including actor Freddie Highmore.

Its celebrity parent roster reflects its reputation for excellence, particularly in the arts.

Pettitt previously warned about online dangers in response to the TV drama Adolescence, writing about a scene where parents were unaware of the dangerous content their child was accessing.

"The online world is all-encompassing, and we teeter into it as if into an abyss. But it is no substitute for actual human interaction with those closest to us," he wrote.

The Princess of Wales also visited nearby University College School in Hampstead as the royal couple continue exploring options beyond Kate's alma mater, Marlborough College in Wiltshire.