Government to announce mobile phone ban in schools
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Head teachers in England will be told to ban pupils from using mobile phones for the entire school day - following new government guidance.
The Department for Education wants children to be stopped from using devices at break times as well as in classrooms.
The new guidance will be issued "shortly" but a specific date has not been announced for when schools should bring the ban into effect.
The government currently encourages head teachers to limit mobile phone use and many schools already have restrictions on phones in place.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan will announce the plans at the Conservative Party conference later.
It's thought she will announce the plans while explaining that mobile phones are a distraction and are often used for bullying.
The new guidelines will be designed to allow pupils to bring their phones to school so they can be used on the journeys to and from school, but they will not be allowed to use them during the school day.
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A party conference is a gathering of members from a specific political party. At the gathering policies are explained or announced by the political party's leaders.
The announcements made at party conferences are significant this year in particular, because 2024 is expected to be an election year.
What are the rules in your school?
Head teachers already have the power to ban phones at their schools - In 2018 the government estimated that 95% of schools already had restrictions on mobile phone use.
But rules are different in schools across England, with some pupils forced to hand their phone in at the start of the day, while others are allowed to keep them in their bag or use them between lessons.
The government has previously said it supports any head teacher who wants to restrict phone use in schools.
There are currently no complete bans on mobile phones in schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - where decisions on education is made separately from the UK government.
Around the world there are mobile phone bans in schools, including in France and China where national bans on phones in schools have been introduced. The Netherlands will also ban mobile phones in school from 2024.
Earlier this year, a report from the United Nations (UN) recommended that smartphones should be banned from schools to reduce classroom disruption.
Do you agree with the mobile phone ban in schools? Let us know in the comments below.
- Published26 July 2023
- Published5 June 2023
