This DfE guidance advises school leaders on prohibiting mobile phone use throughout the school day, so pupils learn in a calm, distraction-free environment. It covers:

  • The risks: distraction, disruption, cyberbullying and mental health concerns.
  • Policy options: no phones on site, collecting phones on arrival, keeping phones in secure locations, or strictly prohibiting their use.
  • Who does what: telling pupils and parents, staff enforcing the policy, pupils understanding it, and parents reinforcing it at home.
  • Sanctions, searching, adjustments and beyond the school day: using sanctions, searching pupils, reasonable adjustments for specific cases, and phone use outside the school day.

Key Actions for School Leaders:

Develop and implement a mobile phone policy that aligns with the school's behaviour policy and legal duties, ensuring a calm and safe environment for all pupils and staff.

  1. Consider different approaches for prohibiting mobile phone use, such as not allowing phones on school premises, collecting phones upon arrival, keeping phones in secure locations, or strictly prohibiting their use.
  2. Communicate the policy clearly to all staff, pupils, and parents, making expectations transparent and ensuring everyone understands the consequences and sanctions for not following the policy.
  3. Enforce the policy consistently and visibly, backing staff to challenge pupils and maintain a mobile phone-free environment throughout the school day.
  4. Educate pupils about the risks associated with mobile phone use and the benefits of a distraction-free environment, so they want to support the policy themselves.
  5. Encourage parents to reinforce and discuss the policy at home, emphasising the risks of mobile phone use and the benefits of a mobile phone-free environment.
  6. Use appropriate sanctions, such as confiscation and detentions, for pupils who breach the mobile phone policy, considering proportionality and special circumstances.
  7. Consider the need for adaptations and reasonable adjustments for specific cases, such as disabled pupils or those with medical conditions, ensuring compliance with legal duties and supporting individual needs.
  8. Determine how to manage mobile phone use on school trips or outside the normal school day, considering the impact on educational experiences and consulting with parents to develop appropriate policies.
  9. Remain vigilant to online safety risks and ensure that online safety is reflected in all appropriate school policies, allowing pupils to access their mobile phones when raising concerns about online issues.

Here is the full document: Mobile phones in schools