England to boot phones out of pupils' pockets and bags from 2027

Phones will be off-limits in pupils' pockets and bags during the school day in England, after ministers tightened the rules. Changes to statutory guidance — which has been in force since June and makes schools and trusts legally responsible for keeping the day phone-free — kick in from September 2027. The new version goes further than the current patchwork of policies, including the softer approach where phones stay in bags as long as they're not seen or heard.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the government's message was blunt: school is for learning and friendship, not scrolling. Ministers argue phone access risks pulling children away from their lessons and from each other. Schools keep the freedom to decide how they enforce it — some have bought sealed pouches or secure lockers, others collect devices at the start of the day or block them from the site entirely.

Head teachers' unions aren't convinced the money adds up. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders union, called phones a safety issue and an unhelpful distraction, but said the tougher measures would come at a cost. Pepe Di'Iasio of the Association of School and College Leaders said the guidance at least gives some clarity, but school leaders cannot simply make mobile phones disappear. Expecting lockable pouches or secure storage for every pupil would be very expensive, he said, and isn't feasible without government funding.

There's backing from other corners. Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, welcomed strong action to stop phones disrupting the school day. Charlotte Ashton, co-founder of campaign group Generation Focus, said the no see, no hear approach wasn't working and pupils were still TikTok-ing in the toilets. Her endgame: a world where it isn't normal for every child to carry an internet-enabled device 24/7.

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said she was delighted Labour had finally listened and agreed to properly ban smartphones in schools, and backed a review of safety standards for technology used in classrooms, which the government has also announced. She still accused ministers of a lack of joined-up thinking over which new tech gets let into schools.

The rest of the UK is moving at its own pace. Scotland plans a new law restricting personal phone use in schools and ran a consultation over the summer. The Senedd in Wales recently voted down a national statutory ban, leaving heads to set their own rules. Northern Ireland's Education Minister Paul Givan launched a 12-week consultation in August on a legal ban, calling for a stronger, more consistent approach. All of this sits apart from the UK's planned social media ban for under-16s, due in March, which will cover Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok — with Vinted and eBay possibly added, according to the culture secretary.