Labour tells headteachers to ban pupils keeping phones in bags

Headteachers will be told to ban pupils from keeping phones in their bags during the school day, the Government has announced. Updated guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) will advise schools to go beyond “not seen, not heard” phone policies, which allow pupils to keep phones with them in lessons as long as they are stored away and switched to silent. Lucy Powell , the Education Secretary, said school was for learning and friendship, “not scrolling”, as she set out plans to encourage “truly phone-free” classrooms.

She said: “Children should not be using smartphones at any point during the school day, full stop. That’s why we’re strengthening our guidance to take the next leap towards truly phone-free schools .” Existing statutory DfE guidance, which came into effect in September, effectively banned smartphones in schools in England. While stopping short of banning pupils from taking their phone to school, it said heads should implement policies that stopped pupils from having access to their phone throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, break times and lunchtime.

However, the guidance did not explicitly set out how schools should enforce the ban. Laura Trott , the shadow education secretary, had previously claimed schools could interpret the guidance as “not allowing children to touch it [their phone] during the school day, but they can have it in their bag”. The strengthened guidance, which will be introduced from September 2027, will make clear that schools are expected to introduce stronger rules to keep phones out of use throughout the school day.

The DfE said some schools used lockable pouches or secure storage for pupils’ phones, while others collected them at the start of the day or prohibited their students from taking phones on site altogether. Ms Trott said: “I am delighted that Labour has finally listened to us and agreed to properly ban smartphones in schools.” Headteachers’ unions have said additional funding will be needed if schools are required to implement such robust measures to keep phones away from schools.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Many schools already have restrictions on phones, but going beyond a ‘not seen, not heard’ approach comes at a cost. “If schools are to implement some of the more robust measures suggested in this guidance, they will need access to additional funding and support.” Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Schools will need time to develop a new policy that works in their setting.

“If all schools are going to be expected to have lockable pouches or other secure storage facilities for every pupil, the cost involved will be very significant indeed. “This is not feasible unless the Government puts in the funding required to meet these costs.” The DfE is also launching a consultation to explore independent safety certification for education technology to give parents and schools confidence that technology being used in schools is safe.

More than 150 clinicians warned last month of a “crisis” in children’s physical and developmental health linked to screen-based learning . Last week, Paul Waugh, an education minister, said there was a risk of a “Wild West” of education technology products in schools across England.