Preserve secondary schools’ freedom to set their own mobile phone policies

Background

The Government plans to force English schools to ban mobile phone use. We believe this is excessive and unnecessary, severely limits opportunities for schools to educate children on responsible use, and stifles academic research. We call on the Government to exclude secondary schools from the ban.

Additional details

Non-statutory guidance issued in 2024 by the Conservative Government recommended that all schools ban mobile phone use. In secondary schools, blanket bans have little to no impact on pupil wellbeing, attainment or behaviour: https://doi.org/q37x Mobile phones can support the wellbeing of vulnerable children at school: https://doi.org/q37w The Government must adopt a more holistic approach, and ensure that young people are heard and taken seriously, not merely used as a “political football”.