Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones throughout the school day, including at break times and lunch, according to new guidance published today.
The Department for Education has released non-statutory guidance after education secretary Gillian Keegan promised a crackdown on mobiles in schools at the Conservative Party conference last year.
The guidance says that school leaders should develop and implement a policy to prohibit the use of mobile phones that reflects a school’s individual context and needs.
Mobile phones in schools
The DfE document also says that schools should identify in their behaviour policies that pupils may be searched for mobile phones.
The guidance has been dismissed as a “non-policy for a non-problem” by a school leaders’ union, which says the government should instead focus on preventing children from accessing “disturbing” online platforms.
The guidance, published on Monday, says headteachers are backed by the DfE to confiscate mobile phones and similar devices for the length of time the school deems proportionate.
The department provides a list of examples of how to create a “mobile-phone-free environment” and also sets out exemptions for when phones may be necessary, such as for medical reasons.
Examples of school policies in the DfE guidance include banning phones from the school premises, having pupils handing in phones on arrival at school and keeping phones securely locked away at school.
School behaviour policy
It also says schools could operate a policy where pupils keep possession of their phones “on the strict condition that they are never used, seen or heard”.
Staff should also not use their own mobile phone for personal reasons in front of pupils throughout the school day, the guidance states.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Today’s children are growing up in an increasingly complex world, living their lives on and offline. This presents many exciting opportunities - but also challenges.
“By prohibiting mobile phones, schools can create safe and calm environments free from distraction so all pupils can receive the education they deserve.”
A school’s policy on prohibiting the use of mobile phones can be included within the school’s behaviour policy or be its own standalone document, according to the DfE.
The guidance comes after the murder of teenager Brianna Ghey led to calls for stricter regulation of mobile devices in schools.
Phone use in schools
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the amount of time that some children spend on mobile phones is “concerning” because it can lead to addictive behaviour and “access to completely inappropriate and damaging material”.
However, Mr Barton added that many schools already have robust policies in place.
“We have lost count of the number of times that ministers have now announced a crackdown on mobile phones in schools. It is a non-policy for a non-problem,” he said.
Teacher Tapp findings from January show that only one per cent of schools allow the use of mobile phones at any time, and six per cent of secondaries allow them at breaks and lunch.
The vast majority - 80 per cent - banned them outright, did not permit their use during the school day, or only allowed them when specifically permitted by teachers.
“The government would be far better off putting its energies into bringing to heel the online platforms via which children are able to access disturbing and extreme content,” Mr Barton continued.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Schools have been dealing with mobile phone use for years. Almost all already have policies in place and the tools they need to manage this based upon what works best for their pupils and staff.”
He added that “blanket bans can cause more problems than they solve” and could lead to pupils becoming more secretive about their phone use.
He added: “This guidance is not something school leaders had been clamouring for, and is simply a distraction when the government ought to be putting all its energy into dealing with more pressing problems facing schools - be it the staff recruitment and retention crisis, funding, RAAC or the breakdown in trust in Ofsted.”
The DfE’s lead behaviour adviser Tom Bennett said the guidance provides “a clear steer for everyone, including parents, about what’s right and what’s not for the wellbeing of the child”.
He added: “Heads can know that they’ll be backed in their attempt to build safe and nurturing cultures, and they’ll find advice about how to make schools a phone-free environment. And when that happens, everyone wins.”
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