New guidance for mobile phone use in schools

The guidance is non-statutory and is not prescriptive in its recommendations. Schools are encouraged to develop policies that suit their individual contexts/circumstances. Different approaches could be adopted for different groups of students, for example some schools may wish to limit (rather than prohibit) use of devices by sixth-form students to their common room areas, and not in front of younger pupils. The emphasis is placed on creating policies that are accessible, consistent, and easy to follow and aligned with the school's values.

The guidance includes some examples of approaches schools can take, including banning mobile phones on school premises, handing them to staff at the beginning of the school day, storing them in secure lockers throughout the day, or allowing pupils to retain possession, but adopt a 'never seen or heard' approach, with appropriate sanctions imposed if the policy isn't followed.

Whatever approach schools adopt, they need to be mindful of the need to be flexible enough to make adaptations to their policies where individual pupils need access to mobile phones during the school day eg young carers need to contact those they are caring for, or boarders need to be able to contact parents who are overseas.

Schools also have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the needs of disabled students and this may involve access to mobile phones eg pupils with medical conditions such as diabetes may need their mobile phone to check blood glucose levels throughout the day. Schools are advised to assess each case for adjustments or adaptations on its own merits.

Schools are signposted to the DfE's Behaviour in schools guidance which has also been amended to include content on mobile phone use by pupils. Again, schools can be flexible about the range of sanctions they impose for breaches of the policy, so long as it is appropriate to their context and pupil cohort - it could include detention or confiscation. Whatever the sanction, schools should consider whether it is reasonable and appropriate, whether there are special circumstances relating to the pupil being sanctioned (eg age or special educational needs) and what outcome the school is trying to achieve by taking disciplinary action.

As the guidance is already in force, schools should now consider the following:

Reviewing/updating existing policies

Schools need to determine what they consider to be appropriate in terms of mobile phone use and ensure this is clearly documented and understood. There is no need for a separate policy - it can be incorporated into a behaviour or acceptable use policy. The relevant content should be published either on the school's website or another website which parents can access.

Communication with parents/carers

The DfE has stressed the importance of involving parents and pupils in discussions about mobile phone policies. Additional materials have been provided to support these conversations and help to ensure that the policies are well understood and supported by all stakeholders. Parents/carers should also know who to contact at the school to ask for adaptations or reasonable adjustments to be made.

Early reports suggest parents are supportive of the new measures. We note the reports of parent groups seeking broad agreement to restrict mobile phone use in their child's year group at primary level, which schools may wish to consult on. Parent polls taken since the guidance came into force seem to support restrictions on the sale of smartphones to children under the age of 16 and stricter controls on access to social media apps, notwithstanding Meta's decision to reduce the age limit for the use of WhatsApp in Europe to 13 last week.

Communication with pupils

If schools already have policies in place, this is an opportunity to reinforce the policy and communicate what the school is trying to achieve. If the school decides to implement a new approach, they should also make sure pupils are informed well in advance of the changes so they are clear about its purpose, sanctions, and any reasonable adjustments or adaptations that can be made, depending on personal circumstances.

We have updated our acceptable use policy for pupils and our behaviour and discipline policy to reflect the advice in the new guidance. Please complete the form below if you would like any further information about these or your school's policies.

If you would like to find out more about this or have an enquiry about updating or reviewing your school's policies, please contact Victoria Guest in our Education team on  0117 314 5375, or complete the form below.