New Delhi: Schools across England will no longer allow pupils to keep their mobile phones in their pockets or bags during the school day, under strengthened government guidelines set to take effect in September 2027.
The move will take schools beyond the existing “not seen, not heard” approach, which allows pupils to keep their phones in their bags as long as they are not seen or heard.
The government announced the strengthened guidance on 10 November. It builds on statutory guidance introduced in June 2026, which made schools and academy trusts responsible for creating phone-free environments.
“Children should not be using smartphones at any point during the school day, full stop. That’s why we’re strengthening our guidance to take the next leap towards truly phone-free schools,” Education Secretary Lucy Powell said.
She added that schools should be places for learning and making friends, “not scrolling”.
The government says mobile phones can distract pupils from their studies and reduce face-to-face interaction. Under the strengthened guidance, pupils will not be able to access their phones during lessons, between classes, at break times or during lunch.
The government wants schools to adopt a strict “no ifs, no buts” approach, ensuring that phones remain inaccessible throughout the school day.
How will schools enforce the rules?
Schools will be able to decide how they enforce the guidance. Some may use lockable pouches or secure lockers, while others may collect phones at the start of the day or prohibit them altogether from school premises.
Ofsted inspections will also examine how schools implement and enforce their mobile phone policies.
While the government has said the revised guidance will come into effect in September 2027, schools are being encouraged to move towards implementation sooner.
Schools raise concerns over costs
However, head teachers’ unions have raised concerns about the cost of enforcing the new rules, saying schools will need additional government funding and resources to put the policy into practice.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said schools would need time to develop policies suited to their circumstances.
“If all schools are going to be expected to have lockable pouches or other secure storage facilities for every pupil, the cost involved will be very significant indeed,” Di’Iasio told the BBC.
He added, “This is not feasible unless the Government puts in the funding required to meet these costs.”
Karl Harrison, head teacher at Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester, told the BBC that his school had spent £20,000 on metal detectors and special phone pouches to prevent pupils from accessing their devices.
He said that although some pupils initially felt they had lost their freedom, keeping phones away had encouraged them to interact more with their classmates.
“People now can talk to each other, instead of scrolling on a device,” Harrison told the BBC.
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Phone-free schools and safety concerns
The announcement has also prompted debate on social media. Some users shared memories of their school days in the 1990s and early 2000s, when mobile phones were not allowed in schools, and said they would welcome a return to those rules.
“We weren’t allowed them in the early 2000s. Should still be the same now,” one user wrote.
Others, however, raised concerns about pupils’ safety and the need to have phones available during emergencies. Some pointed out that students rely on their phones when travelling to and from school.
“Students use phones for bus and train travel. Ministers hopelessly out of touch with lived reality,” one user posted on X.
The needs of pupils with medical conditions have also come up in the discussion.
“All the diabetic kids will be in a mess then unless there is some kind of exemption,” another user wrote.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)