Education secretary calls for total mobile phone ban in schools

• Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has written to headteachers advocating for schools to be entirely phone-free throughout the school day, including during lessons, breaks, and between classes.
• The updated government guidance specifies that mobile phones should not be used by pupils for any purpose, such as calculators or research, both inside and outside of the classroom.
• The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will direct Ofsted to examine schools’ mobile phone policies and their implementation, with teachers also advised against using phones in front of pupils.
• Data indicates that 58 per cent of secondary school pupils use mobile phones without permission in at least some lessons.
• Separately, ministers have launched a consultation on implementing an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s in the UK.

IN FULL

Education Secretary tells teachers to make sure schools are phone-free