Mobile phones to be banned in schools in England under new plans | Education policy
A ban on mobile phones in schools in England will be introduced by the government in a bid to ensure the passage of “critical protection legislation”.
The government will introduce an amendment to the child welfare and schools bill to the House of Lords after the bill was delayed by its peers in the opposition benches.
It will legalize existing guidance on mobile phone bans in schools, a move ministers have so far resisted.
The government has consistently argued that the vast majority of schools already ban mobile phones and there is no need to add a legal requirement. But they eventually caved in, describing it as a “pragmatic measure” to pass the bill.
Announcing the move on Monday, education secretary Jacqui Smith told the Lords: “We recognize the strength of feeling on this issue, both in this house and beyond.”
“Whilst we think the guidance we currently have provides principals and schools with a range of approaches to achieve the goal we all share, we are committed instead to introducing an amendment that will put the existing guidance on a statutory basis on the bill and create a clear statutory requirement for schools.”
“We have listened to concerns and listened to parliament about how we are supporting headteachers in introducing this policy.”
The bill, considered by many to be the biggest piece of child protection legislation in decades, includes proposals for mandatory registration for out-of-school children, preventing profiteering in children’s social care and a “single unique identifier” to help institutions keep track of a child’s welfare.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The legal ban on mobile phones in schools is not actually changing much. Most schools already have policies in place where students are not allowed to use mobile phones.”
“It could be really helpful if the government offers funding to schools for the safe and secure storage of mobile phones, such as storage lockers or ziplock bags.”
Education minister Bridget Phillipson had previously written to headteachers in England to emphasize that schools should be phone-free for the entire school day, but this guidance was not legal.
Research by the children’s commission in England last year found that 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools already had policies in place that limit or restrict mobile phone use during the school day.
But many principals grappling with the challenges faced by parents will welcome the move to provide clarity in classrooms.
Ministers reluctantly accepted this. A government spokesman said: “Repeated attempts by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to scrap some of the most far-reaching child protection laws are deeply abhorrent and a dismal failure for some of the most vulnerable children in our country.
“After more than a decade in which the children’s social care and child protection system was left to rot by these parties in power and the horrific cases of child abuse by the likes of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, Star Hobson and Sara Sharif, this government moved swiftly to fix the broken situation – but was thwarted at every turn by its unelected opposition colleagues.
“It is an absolute affront to democracy that measures in this legislation, which include direct manifesto commitments such as the introduction of free breakfast clubs and a limit on branded school uniforms, saving families hundreds of pounds, are being blocked by their unelected Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers.”
A Department for Education spokesman said: “We have consistently made clear that mobile phones have no place in schools and that the majority have already banned them. This change makes existing guidance legal, giving legal force to things schools are already doing in practice.”
A Liberal Democrat spokesman said: “We promised to put children’s welfare before party policy and by dragging the government kicking and screaming into implementing our ban on mobile phones in schools, the Liberal Democrats have achieved a huge victory for students, teachers and families.
“The government now needs to ensure all schools have the necessary support and funding to manage this transition, so every classroom can become a smartphone-free zone.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, said: “Legal guidance will provide school leaders with the clarity they need to implement the ban and remove any ambiguity or differences between schools’ approach to smartphone policies.”
