Schools to ban student phone access under strengthened guidance

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 10 Nov, 04:50 · Archive

England's schools must prevent pupil access to phones throughout the school day under stricter statutory guidance from September 2027.

The Department for Education has published strengthened statutory guidance requiring schools to prevent pupils from accessing their phones at any point during the school day. The new rules will come into force from September 2027, replacing current 'not seen, not heard' policies where pupils keep phones in their bags but are not supposed to use them.

Polling by the Department for Education found that only 16 per cent of secondary pupils said phone rules were followed all of the time under existing arrangements. A survey by Teacher Tapp from September found that 39 per cent of secondary schools already use mandatory collection policies, up from 19 per cent in 2025, with 60 per cent of these schools using pouches, 10 per cent using lockers and 29 per cent collecting phones.

Schools have flexibility in how they implement the guidance. Some have invested in sealed pouches or secure lockers. Others collect phones at the start of the day or prohibit them from sites altogether. A secondary school in Hull uses personal pouches that can only be unlocked by magnets situated outside the school gates when pupils leave. Liberty Academy reported that its phone-free policy made a 'phenomenal difference' and students were socialising better with one another.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the government's message was that 'school is for learning and friendship, not scrolling', and that phone access 'risks pulling children away from their learning and from each other'.

Head teachers' unions raised concerns about implementation. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders union, acknowledged that phones could raise 'safety issues' and be an 'unhelpful distraction' but said stricter measures would 'come at a cost'. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that while the guidance 'does at least provide some clarity', the cost of providing lockable pouches or secure storage for every pupil 'will be very significant indeed'. No new funding is expected to be committed to help schools transition.

How it is being reported

• Labour sets out plans for 'truly phone-free' classroomsLabour will set out plans to encourage "truly phone-free" classrooms to ensure pupils are free from distractions. The Department for Education (DfE) will issue strengthened guidance to encourage schools to adopt effective policies to make sure phones are inaccessible to young people throughout the school day. Existing guidance, which came into effect in September, calls for schools in England to operate as "mobile phone-free environments by default", but it does not explicitly set out how they should enforce the ban. Education Secretary Lucy Powell stressed that school was for learning and…GB News · 10 Nov, 05:52
• Phones to be banned from pupils' bags or pockets under stricter rules for schools in EnglandThe government says it is strengthening its guidance for schools in England, which came into force in June.BBC News · 9 Nov, 22:51
• Schools must take phones off pupils for the whole day to stop 'scrolling in class' under new rulesThe guidance, which was published earlier this year, will be updated to make clear that pupils must not have access to their phone during the school day.Daily Mail · 9 Nov, 22:30
• Students to lock phones in pouches or hand to teachers under new legal guidance for schoolsStudents will be forced to lock their mobile phones in pouches or lockers or hand them over to teachers during the school day under plans to make classrooms distraction-freeThe Mirror · 9 Nov, 22:29

In this story: Department for Education · Lucy Powell · NAHT · Liberty Academy · Hull · England

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