Only 1 in 10 secondaries make pupils hand in phones for the school day – DfE survey
Only one in ten secondary schools hand over phones to students during the school day, according to a survey by the Ministry of Education.
A survey of school principals found that only 9 percent required students to store their phones at the entrance, while only 5 percent banned phones altogether.
The vast majority (75 percent) said students could keep their phones with them but not use them.
Teachers have previously said such rules are difficult to enforce because it is impossible to monitor every child at all times.
The survey of around 550 junior managers in the state sector comes as campaigners are pushing for a judicial review of the Government’s decision not to ban smartphones in schools by law.
Among them is 17-year-old Flossie McShea, who says she was exposed to phone porn and beheading videos while at school.
Sir Keir Starmer said a new law was unnecessary because ‘almost every school bans phones in schools’; They already do’.
But today’s data from the DfE’s annual National Behavior Survey calls this into question.
Only one in ten secondary schools deliver phones to students during the school day, according to a Department for Education survey (pictured: campaigner Flossie McShea,17)
The survey also found that only 15 per cent of secondary school principals said students ‘always’ follow the school’s mobile phone policy.
The report also surveyed 2,100 middle school students and only 9 percent said they always followed their school’s cell phone policy.
In fact, 34 percent of students said they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ follow this.
The findings show that even if students are told not to use their phones, the temptation can be very strong if they are in their pockets.
Campaigning dad Pete Montgomery said: ‘This confirms what hundreds of thousands of parents and students know to be true: the government’s current policy on smartphones in schools is failing to protect our nation’s children.
‘Massive security breaches occur every day in every school where smartphones are allowed into the school building.
‘The evidence is clear, the solution is easy. ‘This is one of the moments in history when the Government must intervene: just as they did with seat belts and cigarettes.’
However, although there seems to be a lack of rigidity in secondary schools at the moment, there has been an improvement over last year; Only 3 percent of requested phones were issued, and only 66 percent were banned from use on school grounds.
In addition, a separate survey of 470 primary school principals shows that they are much stricter than secondary schools; 80 percent say phones should be delivered at the door.
The legal challenge against the government is being made by Mr Montgomery, 45, and his father friend Will Orr-Ewing, 40.
They want a complete ban on smartphones in schools, but their proposals exclude old-fashioned ‘brick phones’ without internet access. They say allowing unsupervised internet access throughout the school day is a failure of security because of the excessive content students can view.
So far they have raised £28,960 of the £50,000 needed to complete the legal challenge through a grant. CrowdJustice crowdfunding page.
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘Phones have no place in our schools and leaders already have the power to ban them.
‘Children’s Commissioner’ research shows that 99.8 per cent of primary schools and 90 per cent of secondary schools currently have policies restricting mobile phone use.
‘We support headteachers to take the necessary steps, supported by clear guidance, to prevent disruption and also ensure we better protect children from harmful content through the Online Safety Act.’
