In February 2024, the Department for Education (DfE) released new non-statutory guidance encouraging schools to prohibit the use of mobile phones throughout the school day. It professes to achieve clarity and consistency in practice, backing headteachers and staff and giving them confidence to act.
Mobile phones can cause disruption to pupils' learning and where the use of mobile phones is not appropriately restricted or monitored, they may pose safeguarding risks, cause or contribute to mental health issues, bullying and proliferation of inappropriate crazes. These risks cannot exclusively be attributed to mobile phones, but given that 97% of 12-year-olds have a mobile phone, their ubiquitous use makes them a prime focus to address safeguarding issues.
The new guidance should be read alongside other DfE guidance, including 'Behaviour in Schools' (which was also recently updated), guidance on searching screening and confiscation, guidance on teaching online safety and 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' (KCSIE).
The new guidance is issued on the back of studies and reports concerning the use of phones and social media by children and a concern that mobile phones in schools are a distraction and cause disruption to a positive learning environment. The DfE is 'determined' that all schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones during the school day, including breaktimes and lunchtimes.
That said, the guidance leaves it to each individual school to implement a policy which best reflects the school's contexts and needs and sets out a non-exhaustive list of examples of possible approaches to adopt. These range from a total ban on mobile phones to a 'no-phone culture' where pupils may keep possession of their phones on the condition that they are never used, seen or heard.