Mobile phones in schools – further intervention from Government isn’t necessary say DfE

Mobile phones can be immensely distracting in the classroom for both pupils and their teachers.

We want to support schools to make sure mobile phones are never a barrier to learning or a cause of disruption.

We consulted with schools to understand how they go about managing this balance and whether any additional support is required from Government. We’ve always been clear that we back any headteacher who wants to ban mobile phones during the school day.

The feedback we got showed that most schools have well developed plans in place for the management of mobile phones and that further intervention from Government isn’t necessary. In most cases mobile phones are already banned for the majority of the school day with schools taking a range of measures to enforce that policy.

We’re producing new guidance that will provide practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour, respond effectively to incidents of misbehaviour both in and out of the classroom, and will support staff in tackling behavioural issues. The guidance makes clear that headteachers need to set out that if they allow pupils to access phones in the school day they need to have measures to mitigate the risk of distraction, disruption, bullying and abuse associated with mobile phones.