Schools in England told to ban mobile phones all day

Children in England should be banned from using mobile phones for the entire school day, including lessons, break times and lunchtime, according to plans set out by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

In a letter sent to schools, she wrote that it is "not appropriate for phones to be used as calculators, or for research during lessons". The guidance also says teachers should avoid using their own phones in front of pupils too.

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The education secretary explained that Ofsted, the organisation that inspects schools in England to see how well they are doing, will check whether the phone rules are being followed.

Some school leaders are worried about this. A head teachers' union said using Ofsted to "police" phone rules was "deeply unhelpful and misguided". A teachers' union is a group that represents teachers.

Phillipson said earlier phone guidance from the previous Conservative government released in February 2024 "did not deliver the clarity or consistency that schools need", so the government has "strengthened" the rules to make it "explicit" that pupils should not be using phones at school.

The letter comes just after the government announced it would spend three months listening to people's opinions before deciding whether to ban social media for under-16s across the UK.

The new rules about phones in schools apply only to England, because education is dealt with separately in each part of the UK.

In Wales, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) has said phones should not be banned "outright", and schools should set their own rules.

In Northern Ireland, schools have been advised to restrict phone use, and parents are encouraged not to buy smartphones until age 14.

In Scotland, schools get guidance to make their own policies, such as handing in phones before lessons.