Government Set to Issue New Guidance Banning Mobile Phones in English Schools
The Department for Education is poised to issue new guidelines encouraging headteachers in England to prohibit mobile phone use by students throughout the school day, with a particular focus on curbing distractions and potential bullying. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is expected to announce these guidelines at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.
The upcoming guidelines are comprehensive, seeking to prohibit mobile phone usage not only within classrooms but also during break times. While the guidance will allow students to bring their phones to school for their commute, the devices will be off-limits during school hours.
However, it's important to note that these guidelines will not impose a strict mandate; instead, individual schools will have the autonomy to decide whether to implement the ban. While the government already encourages head teachers to limit mobile phone use, these new guidelines aim to standardise policies across the country.
The topic of mobile phone restrictions in schools has already been a topic of discussion in recent years. In 2018, the government estimated that approximately 95% of schools in England had already implemented some form of mobile phone restrictions. However, the rules vary from one school to another, with some requiring students to surrender their phones at the beginning of the day while others allow students to keep them in their bags or use them between lessons.
Mobile phone bans in schools are not unique to England; they have already been implemented in countries such as France and China, with the Netherlands planning to introduce a similar ban in schools next year. However, in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, where education decisions are made independently of the UK government, there are currently no complete bans on mobile phones in schools.
