Schools in England should be phone-free all day, education secretary says | Schools
The education secretary has told headteachers in England that schools should be phone-free all day, stressing that pupils should not use the devices even for calculators or research.
Bridget Phillipson has written to schools to highlight the updated guidance the government published last week. to BBC.
“Schools must ensure that these policies are applied consistently across classrooms at all times, and we want parents to support these policies,” Phillipson said.
Teachers were also advised not to use their phones in front of students.
Phillipson said schools watchdog Ofsted would inspect how schools implemented the policy, while the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) would take immediate action on children’s use of social media.
The updated guidance states that students “should not access their devices during classes, during break times, at lunch times, or between classes.”
DSIT data shows that 99.9% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools already have mobile phone policies. However, 58% of secondary school students reported unauthorized use of phones in some classes; this proportion increased to 65% among students in the fourth cycle.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, told the BBC that school leaders “need the support of the government, not the threat of harsh scrutiny”.
The move comes as ministers are consulting on introducing an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s in the UK. Options include raising the age of digital consent and restricting potentially addictive app design features like “lines” and “infinite scrolling.”
Ministers will visit Australia, where the ban came into force in December. According to DSIT, the government will seek the views of parents and young people and respond in the summer.
Last week the House of Lords backed an amendment to the Conservative Party-led child welfare and schools bill proposing such a ban, even though it was not backed by the government.
Although ministers’ plans to bring forward the legislation mean the amendment is unlikely to survive the Commons, its passage in the upper house has increased pressure on the prime minister to act more quickly and decisively. It is understood Keir Starmer wants to wait for evidence of the ban in Australia.
