Conservatives push to ban phones in schools

Today, the Conservatives will push for a ban on smartphone use in schools.

As Labour's Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill reaches Committee, the Conservatives have tabled an amendment that would end the use of mobile phones and other devices during school days by pupils, but leave how to implement the ban up to individual schools.

The amendment would mandate that all schools in England introduce a policy to this effect for the duration of the school day, from the start of the first lesson period to the end of the last.

The amendment would provide some flexibility for sixth forms and residential or boarding schools, taking into account the differing situations these educational settings face.

When in government, the Conservatives took action to tackle this problem, including publishing non statutory guidance and a range of other materials for schools which strongly encouraged schools to remove the devices for the school day. However it was made clear at the time that should the problem continue, it would act; then Education Minister Damian Hinds MP stated that the government was monitoring the issue and prepared to issue legislation on the matter if necessary.

Since then research has shown that many schools are not implementing a ban, and even more evidence has emerged of the damage to children. This is why the Conservatives are now taking further action, pushing to crack down on the issue as the problem persists.

According to polling conducted and published by Parentkind after the introduction of the Conservatives' guidance, 83% of parents said that they felt smartphones were potentially harmful to young people.

Senior educational figures have also called for measures to go further. In September, Tom Rees, Chief Executive of the Ormiston Academies Trust, announced that as a result of the guidance all of his schools would be phone free but warned that under the current measures most schools would allow pupils to keep their phones, and more action was needed.

Policy Exchange's April 2024 report on the subject also found that only 11% of secondary schools had effective phone bans, but also found that schools which effectively ban mobile phones get better GCSE results – with schools seeing one to two grade higher results than schools with more relaxed measures.

This is why the Conservatives believe that going further is necessary to ensure children receive the best education. If the Labour government are serious about improving the wellbeing and education of children, as part of their bill, they will accept this amendment.

Laura Trott MP, Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“We have a growing understanding of how damaging phones and social media are on our children's education. That's why we believe that smartphones in schools should be banned during the school day.

“This is the right thing for parents, teachers and children, and I hope Labour will back it.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The full text of the Conservatives' amendment is as follows 

To move the following Clause –

“Ban on mobile telephones and other devices in schools

(1) All schools in England, subject to subsection (4), must have a policy that prohibits the use of certain devices during the school day.

(2) A policy implemented under subsection (1) –

1. may provide for exemptions from the policy, or for an alternative policy, for sixth form students, in so far as such exemptions or alternative policies do not negatively impact upon the wider policy;
2. is to be implemented as the relevant school leader considers appropriate.

(3) For the purposes of this section –

“certain devices” means mobile phones and other devices which provide similar functionality and whose main purpose is not the support of learning or study;

“the school day” includes all time between the start of the first lesson period and the end of the final lesson period.

(4) A policy under this section implemented by a boarding school or residential school may include appropriate guidance for the use of certain devices during other periods which their pupils are on school premises, subject to such policies safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in accordance with relevant national standards.

Member's explanatory statement

This new clause would require all schools in England to ban the use of mobile telephones, and other devices with similar functionality, during the school day.

In government, the Conservatives took action to prohibit mobile phone use throughout the school day to ensure every child made the most of their world-class education:

• In government, the Conservatives published guidance on prohibiting mobile phone use during the school day, ensuring pupils make the most their world-class education. In February 2024, we published non-statutory guidance supporting schools in England to prohibit mobile phone with examples of different approaches including banning phones from the school premises, handing in phones on arrival at school, and keeping phones securely locked away at school (DfE, Press Release, 19 February 2024, link). 

• The Conservatives intended to work with schools to go further in tackling the use of phones throughout the school day. In response to a Written Parliamentary Question, former Education Minister Damian Hinds said, ‘The department will monitor how schools respond to the new guidance and, should schools continue to raise issues with prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools, the department will seek to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity when parliamentary time allows' (UK Parliament, UIN 26196, 14 May 2024, link).

• The Conservatives pledged to go even further by putting our guidance on banning mobile phones in the school day on a statutory footing, requiring all schools to operate a ban. In our manifesto for the 2024 General Election, we pledged to make our guidance statutory and provide funding for schools to help them ban mobile phones where they need it to create a distraction-free zone for pupils to learn (The Conservative and Unionist Party, Manifesto 2024, 11 June 2024, link).

Where phones are banned in schools, evidence shows that schools have higher standards and pupils achieve higher grades:

• Excessive use of digital devices for leisure in classrooms can negatively impact students' academic performance with over a quarter using their phone several times a day. The OECD's worldwide report highlighted the negative impact excessive use of digital devices for leisure in classrooms can have on students' academic performance with 29 per cent of students reporting that they use their smartphone several times a day, despite a phone ban (OECD, Report, May 2024, link).

• Parents are increasingly concerned about the negative impact of phones on young people with 58 per cent of parents would support the idea of introducing a ban on smartphones for under 16s.Research conducted by ParentKind found 77 per cent of parents of primary school children supported a ban on phones for under 16s. compared to 16 per cent of parents of secondary school children (ParentKind, Report, 4 March 2024, link).

• ParentKind found that the vast majority of parents are concerned by the use of smartphones by young people. Research conducted by ParentKind found 83 per cent of parents felt smartphones were potentially harmful to young people (ParentKind, Report, 4 March 2024, link).

• The Ormiston Academy Trust has begun phasing out access to phones at all its schools across the country to remove the disruption caused to pupils learning and wellbeing. The Chief of the Ormiston Academy Trust, Tom Rees, said the ‘status quo in most schools – allowing pupils to keep phones – during the school day – was an inadequate response to the disruption caused', which is why he has begun phasing out access to all 44 state schools and 35,000 pupils in the trust (The Guardian, 13 September 2024, link)

• Whilst the vast majority of primary schools have effective phone bans, only 11 per cent of secondary schools do, leaving pupils at risk of being distracted throughout the school day. Policy Exchange reported that only 11 per cent of secondary schools had effective bans – with others allowing phones to be used in break or lunch, or permitting pupils to keep phones present on them (Policy Exchange, Disconnect: The Case for a Smartphone Ban in Schools, 30 April 2024, link).

• Research has proven that schools that had an effective ban were more likely to be rated as ‘Outstanding' by Ofsted and pupils were more likely to receive higher grades. Policy Exchange reported that schools with an effective ban were more than twice as likely to be rated ‘outstanding' by Ofsted as the national average, and children with an effective ban achieved GCSE results that were one to two grades higher compared to children at schools with laxer policies (Policy Exchange, Disconnect: The Case for a Smartphone Ban in Schools, 30 April 2024, link).