England's Schools to Go Fully Phone-Free, With Smartphones Banned Even at Break and Lunch

Pupils in England will no longer be allowed to keep smartphones in their pockets or bags during the school day. Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced on 10 November that the Department for Education will strengthen its statutory guidance so that phones are completely out of reach not only in lessons but also between classes, at break time and over lunch. The tougher rules are due to take effect in September 2027.

What is changing

Existing statutory guidance, in force since September 2026, says schools in England should be "mobile phone-free environments by default". As LADbible noted, however, it does not spell out how schools should enforce that. Many have therefore settled on a "not seen, not heard" approach, under which phones can stay in a pupil's bag as long as they are not used.

The revised guidance is designed to end that grey area. Schools will be free to decide how to make phones inaccessible, and several approaches are already in use:

• lockable pouches that only open at the end of the day;
• lockers or other secure storage;
• collecting phones when pupils arrive in the morning;
• banning phones from school premises altogether.

The government says only 16 per cent of secondary pupils report that phone rules at their school are followed all of the time, according to the Daily Express.

Ministers, unions and the opposition

"Children should not be using smartphones at any point during the school day, full stop," Powell said. The Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, welcomed what she called "strong action to stop phones distracting pupils and disrupting the school day."

School leaders were more cautious. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT heads' union, said tougher measures would require "access to additional funding and support". Pouches or lockers for hundreds of pupils cost money, and collecting and returning devices every day eats into staff time.

The Conservatives welcomed the move while taking a swipe at the government. Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said: "I am delighted that Labour have finally listened to us and agreed to properly ban smartphones in schools."

Part of a wider crackdown

The school rules sit alongside a broader push to limit children's exposure to social media. A ban on social media accounts for under-16s is due to come into force in the UK in March 2027. According to media reports, it will apply to platforms whose main purpose is social interaction and which let users post material, and is expected to cover TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and X, although a final list has not been published.

The phone guidance applies only to England. Education is a devolved matter, so Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own policies.

Why it matters

Debate over phones in classrooms is running in many countries, as parents and teachers worry about the effect of constant notifications on concentration, sleep and mental health. England's approach stands out because it moves beyond a general recommendation to a requirement that phones be physically out of reach all day, while leaving schools to choose the tools.

The reaction from head teachers also highlights the practical cost of such policies. Without extra money and clear enforcement, even statutory rules can be applied unevenly from one school to the next. How well the model works will only become clear once the new guidance takes effect in September 2027.