Mobile phones could soon be legally banned in schools across England under new government plans.
Phones could soon be legally banned in schools across England
Ministers are preparing to introduce an amendment to the children's wellbeing and schools bill in the House of Lords, after the legislation was delayed by opposition peers. The proposed change would make current guidance on phone bans statutory, meaning schools would be legally required to enforce restrictions.
Until now, the government has stopped short of introducing a formal legal ban, instead allowing schools to set their own policies.
The Department for Education said the move is intended to bring consistency across the system and back schools that already enforce strict rules.
A spokesperson said: "We have been consistently clear that mobile phones have no place in schools, and the majority already prohibit them.
"This amendment makes existing guidance statutory, giving legal force to what schools are already doing in practice.
"It builds on the steps we've already taken to strengthen enforcement, with Ofsted considering schools' mobile phone policies as part of inspection from this month.
"We will always put children's interests first, including through this bill – which is widely recognised as the biggest piece of child safeguarding legislation in decades, with critical measures like laws to crack down on profiteering in children’s social care and a new unique identifier to stop children falling through the cracks."
The proposal follows a vote in the House of Lords earlier this week, where peers backed a ban on phones during the school day by a majority of 107. The House of Commons is now expected to vote on the amendment on Wednesday (22.04.26).
Supporters of the move argue that limiting phone use in schools can help improve focus, reduce distractions and support pupils' wellbeing. Concerns have also been raised about the role of smartphones in issues such as cyberbullying and access to inappropriate content during the school day.
At the same time, the proposal is likely to prompt debate among parents and educators about how strict such rules should be and how they are applied in practice.