Schools told to go beyond ‘phone in the bag’ rule in major classroom crackdown

The days of pupils simply stuffing their phone into a school bag and promising not to touch it could be numbered under a major new crackdown on mobiles in England’s schools.

Ministers want schools to go much further than the familiar “not seen, not heard” rule and make phones physically inaccessible to children for the entire school day.

That could mean pupils being forced to hand over their mobiles each morning, lock them inside special pouches or secure storage, or leave them at home altogether.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said children “should not be using smartphones at any point during the school day, full stop”, declaring: “School is for learning and friendship, not scrolling.”

The move amounts to a significant toughening of rules introduced this September.

Schools are already supposed to be mobile phone-free by default, including during lessons, breaks and lunchtimes. But headteachers have largely been left to decide how to enforce that.

And for most secondary schools, that still means pupils can carry their phones.

A Department for Education survey found 70% of secondary school leaders operated a policy allowing children to bring phones in as long as they stayed out of sight. Just 21% said pupils had to hand them in or put them somewhere they could not access.

Ministers now believe that approach does not go far enough.

Only 16% of secondary pupils told the DfE that their school’s phone rules were followed all of the time, prompting the Government to push schools towards much tougher physical restrictions.

Revised statutory guidance is due to take effect from September 2027, although schools will be encouraged to tighten their policies earlier.

It does not mean every school will automatically have to buy lockable phone pouches. Headteachers will still decide what works locally, and school leaders have already warned that large-scale storage or pouch schemes could carry a hefty price tag.

There will also need to be exceptions. Existing guidance specifically allows flexibility for pupils who need phones because of disabilities, medical conditions or individual circumstances, including children who use a smartphone to monitor diabetes.

The phone crackdown forms part of a wider Government push over children’s exposure to screens. Ministers are also consulting on independent safety certification for technology used in classrooms after concerns were raised about the rapid growth of digital learning products.

For millions of pupils, however, the most immediate change could be much simpler: from next year, keeping your phone hidden in your bag may no longer be enough.