Overview
- Bridget Phillipson wrote to headteachers saying all schools should be phone‑free for the entire school day, with phones not used as calculators or for research, and teachers told not to use their devices in front of pupils.
- Ofsted will examine each school’s mobile phone policy and its implementation on every visit from 1 April, and inspectors will consider the effectiveness of policies when determining grades.
- The updated guidance issued last week sets an expectation that pupils should not have access to devices during lessons, between lessons, at break times or at lunch.
- The guidance is not legally binding, and the government says a consultation will consider giving leaders a clear legal obligation to consider the guidance when setting policies.
- Official data show 99.9% of primary and 90% of secondary schools have phone policies, yet 58% of secondary pupils report unauthorised use in at least some lessons, as ministers also consult on options to curb under‑16s’ social media use modelled on Australia.